


Cruel as a Cucumber

by UppityBitch



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-25
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2018-11-18 16:13:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11294199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UppityBitch/pseuds/UppityBitch
Summary: Klaus meets Caroline at a farmer’s market in a quirky Gulf Coast town. Despite that hilariously awkward first encounter, sparks fly as Klaus attempts to settle into small-town life.





	1. A Hasty Assumption

**Author's Note:**

> New Klaroline story! I’m expanding Chapter 28 from my short story series, A Beautiful Symmetry, into a multi-chap AU human!Klaroline story. (The new content starts on Chapter 3!)

           There _is_ such a thing as too much butt cheek before 9:00 am. _Especially_ when it was stuffed in a lime green thong and walking unabashedly down the sidewalk on Bougainvillea Avenue. Caroline Forbes shook her head, an indulgent smile on her lovely face as she stacked woven baskets for her customers to use at her produce stand. She’d been a resident of the sleepy little beachside community of Mystic Port, Florida, for several years now, but its quirky, charming residents still delighted her on a daily basis.  

            She had vacationed down here just once, eager to escape the high-pressure world of academia, and practically overnight made the decision to leave behind her tedious life and embrace something far more carefree. This tiny, laid-back community full of hippies and those who were secretly hippies at heart, talented artists, and other lovable strays had welcomed her with open arms and she couldn’t imagine finding any other place that made her feel like she was on a permanent vacation. In her previous world, Caroline’s gardening hobby had been limited to meager flower pots on her balcony in her city high-rise, but out here, she had blossomed into Mystic Port’s resident farmer, and supplied several of the local restaurants with her homegrown produce.

            She noticed that one of the local bands, the oddly named _Sirens...Meh_ , was setting up down the street under a large, colorful umbrella. A bluesy-alternative rock sister act, they usually played at the small town’s venues, delighting the audience with self-penned songs like, “Lookin’ for Plots in All the Wrong Places” and “Continuity (You’re Never Gonna Get It)”. They also relished playing the standards like “Sympathy for the Devil” and “Shout at the Devil”, which always got the crowd fired up. Caroline waved to them cheerfully, wishing them luck as they set an old rusty bell upside down on the sidewalk to serve as their tip jar.

            As she adjusted the miniature chalkboard sign beside the Roma tomatoes, she heard a crisp British accent inquire, “ _The Bountiful Ceres_? A bit on the nose, don’t you think, sweetheart?”

            She straightened, swiping at her sweaty temple to regard an uncommonly attractive man with dirty blonde curls and a smug smirk. From his accent, she assumed he was a ‘snowbird’, a foreign tourist who came to Florida during the winter to enjoy a sunburn in January. Not that she could fault them for that — she still felt giddy at the thought of her shoe closet being stuffed with nothing but year-round flips flops ranging from casual to dressy depending upon the occasion. Realizing that the beautiful stranger had no intention of moving onto the next booth until she responded, she answered lightly, “That’s a hasty assumption. It’s entirely possible I named my farm after the dwarf planet in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter rather than the Roman goddess of agriculture.”

            Raising an impressed eyebrow, he said, “I wouldn’t think astronomy would be common knowledge in a quaint farmer’s market.” He fiddled with the curved stem of one of her yellow-green cubanelle peppers in a manner that she _almost_ considered erotic except he was being a condescending asshat.

            She answered somewhat stiffly, “You’d be amazed at the backgrounds of some of our little town’s transplants. There’s physicists, chemical engineers, former ambassadors, mothers, fathers, friends, lovers, and everything in between, all content to bask in the _quaintness_.”

            He unexpectedly flashed a set of innocent dimples at her curt statement, and held out his hand to shake hers. “I’m Klaus. And where do you fit in with that eclectic mix of professions, sweetheart,” he asked curiously, his gray eyes studying her intently.

            She warmed under his casual perusal, and did her best not to self-consciously try to tuck frizzy blonde curls back into her messy knot. “Caroline. Former teacher, current farmer.”

            “Caroline,” he nodded, rolling the syllables around on his tongue, bathing them in that delicious accent of his. They were momentarily distracted by several brown pelicans that swooped low at the dock across the way, their delicate squeaks as they greeted each other adding to the steady hum of the farmer’s market. Continuing his interrogation, Klaus asked, “What did you teach and where?”

            She frowned slightly, trying to determine if he was being overly friendly or actually flirting with her. She always was _so bad_ at this. “Science. At a university.” She also was hesitant to give out further details unless pressed; otherwise, she was concerned it would sound uncomfortably like bragging.

            As though sensing her discomfort, Klaus leaned forward across her booth, the simple navy t-shirt stretching seductively across the hard planes of his chest. “Horticulture, I assume? Which university?”

            Rolling her blue eyes, she replied. “Astrophysics. At Columbia.” A small, petty part of her thoroughly enjoyed the way surprise flitted across his handsome face and his expression turned somewhat sheepish. Anxious to move along this awkward meeting so she could return to her normal routine, she pointed out her multi-level display of berries and asked, “So what can I get you today? I’m running a special on blueberries, strawberries and blackberries — $3 per pint or a half-flat for $10.”

            Klaus chuckled, the melodious sound somehow conveying both amusement and slight annoyance. “Anxious to be rid of me, sweetheart? And here I was hoping you could tell me what surely must be a fascinating story of how you ended up here.”

            She huffed, folding her arms across her chest, trying to be mindful of the enormous sweat stains that had likely started appearing on her pink tank top. “I’m not that fascinating. _Especially_ in this town.” She jerked her chin at the space over Klaus’ shoulder, and he turned just in time to see a broad-shouldered gentleman with dark hair strutting about the farmer’s market wearing nothing but a lime green thong and a giant smile.

            Watching as the man waved to the various vendors and called out flirty greetings of “Hey, gorgeous!” to women young and old alike, Klaus seemed flummoxed for the moment. Turning back to Caroline he said, “I’m a bit surprised your town council allows that level of nudity in public. This isn’t Miami.”

            Caroline shrugged, enjoying Klaus’ obvious discomfort. “It’s Mystic Port. We focus on _actual_ concerns rather than something as harmless as a little bare skin. Besides,” she added with a secret grin, “that’s Enzo, our town’s mayor.”

            “Well, I was going to argue your point about what you consider fascinating, but between that overly confident lad there and then that peculiar brunette near the sea shell wind chimes booth, perhaps I should defer to your more experienced judgement,” he joked, trying and failing at not blatantly staring when the odd woman began to lick her hand and then groom her arms and neck, much like a cat.

            Caroline airily explained, “That’s just Katherine, who unsurprisingly insists we call her _Kat_. One of the psychics here told her that she was a reincarnated Himalayan and that her muscle memory would retain certain aspects of her past life.” At his stunned expression, she added somewhat defensively, “So she’s a bit out there, but she’s a good person and a _very_ attentive, loving pet owner, so she’s more than ok in my books.”

            “Let me guess — she has an inordinate number of cats,” he asked faintly.

            “More of a dog person, really. She has two absolutely gorgeous golden retrievers that have a weekly advice column in our local newspaper. Well, Kat ghostwrites the column for them, but she swears she infuses their personality in the writing,” Caroline cheerfully told him, thoroughly enjoying the way his eyebrows nearly grazed his hairline with each unusual revelation.

            Before Klaus could question her further about the town’s quirky residents, they were interrupted by a statuesque blonde who said in a clipped tone of exasperation, “There you are, Nik! I swear this odd little chap keeps following me about offering to give me an exclusive tour of this bizarre village. I’m sure you’ve noticed him; he’s practically naked and keeps calling me ‘gorgeous’.” Her fierce green eyes flashed as she finished her impassioned speech, flicking over to Caroline briefly. Putting a hand on her hip she snorted, adding, “Although you’ve clearly been too busy flirting with the locals to notice.”

            “That’s Enzo,” Caroline helpfully explained, irritated that she immediately wanted to know how Klaus knew the beautiful blonde. Objectively, she could admit they made a stunning couple, with striking features and a commanding presence. They probably had beautiful blonde babies in a predictably rigid, perfect little white-picket-fence world. _Ugh. Seriously, snap out of it_. “You should consider taking him up on his offer; he knows more about our town than anyone and is a hoot to talk to.” She tried not to feel relief at the way the mystery woman kept covertly scanning the crowd, obviously hoping to run into Enzo again.

            Klaus tugged on the blonde’s ponytail, giving her an impish smile as he told Caroline, “Caroline, this is my sister, Rebekah. Rebekah, this lovely creature is Caroline, who was regaling me with tales about this intriguing town.”

            “Charmed,” Rebekah, drawled, taking in Caroline’s sweaty appearance and dirt-streaked capri jeans with a critical brow. “Tell me, Caroline, does your city not have any HOAs? I’ve been quite surprised by the flamboyantly painted homes in the area. There was one house, such a shame really, because it would have been such a lovely Key West-style cottage if not for the appalling purple it’s painted.”

            Klaus nodded in agreement, asking Caroline, “Surely you know the one we mean, love? It’s down the road, perched on the corner. There’s a giant cluster of sunflowers that nearly swallows the mailbox.”

            Caroline’s blue eyes strayed to the soothing sight of the sailboats peacefully floating on the sparkling blue-green Gulf. She needed to get a handle on her temper that was threatening to crush the judgmental, uptight fish and chips platters standing before her. “Yup. It’s my house. Perhaps _appalling_ is relative. Like manners.”

            She felt a grim sort of satisfaction in the way the rude siblings paled at her revelation. Rebekah offered her a pained smile and said quietly, “Right. Well, that’s incredibly awkward. Um, sorry?” She nodded once in Caroline’s direction and bid a hasty retreat, muttering under her breath to her brother, “Good luck recovering from that one, Nik.”

            Klaus immediately cleared his throat, opening and then shutting his mouth as he clearly strained to think of something to say to alleviate the uncomfortable tension. Caroline busied herself with a few customers that appeared, flashing them brilliant smiles and asking after their families. She had just finished handing off the last bag of colorful bell peppers to her remaining customer when Klaus mumbled, “Sorry about that.” He rubbed the back of his neck, refusing to make eye contact with her. “This part usually goes better for me.”

            Caroline flashed an evil grin, dryly asking, “Let me guess — your dimples always work to smooth over your insults? They must put in a lot of overtime.”

            Reddening slightly, Klaus laughed, and then attempted to change the topic when he observed, “You seem to be doing brisk business at the market today. Is there a special event happening?”

            Still amused by his obvious embarrassment, she decided to quit trying to shuffle him away from her booth. “Business is usually pretty steady, plus I’m the supplier for a couple of the restaurants here.”

            His gray eyes lit up at her words and he asked excitedly, “Really? In that case, you would know the best places to eat around here then. What do you recommend?”

            As an enthusiastic foodie, she was pleased to see that Klaus seemed to be one as well. “If you’re in the mood for Italian, the Salvatores feature their family’s old recipes and have the best marinara sauce I’ve tasted since leaving New York. It’s one block south, called _Lily’s Trattoria._ Or, across the street from them is Lockwood Grill. They serve this Oklahoma-style barbecue with a savory-sweet sauce that I still can’t figure out how to duplicate. They also usually win all the barbecue championships in the area.”

            Klaus seemed to soak up every bit of local food knowledge she was willing to share. With a slight hitch to his voice he asked, “Both options sound delicious. Do you have any other places you’d like to tell me about?”

            She finished reorganizing the cucumbers that had been scattered during the last wave of customers, and answered with a frown, “Actually, it’s a shame you weren’t vacationing here a couple of months ago. There was this tiny little cafe that had been in the Gilbert family for generations. It was the oldest business in Mystic Port and it’s where all of our town parades would end. We’d all gather there and have their specialty, key lime pie fritters.” Her mouth watered as she recalled their menu. “Actually, their food was the perfect example of home-style Florida cooking from fresh grouper sandwiches, sweet potato fries, cracked-pepper shrimp and buttered grits...” she trailed off dreamily as she recalled the heavenly aromas that would waft from their open windows during the day.

            He seemed to hang on her every word and she shook her head sadly as she lamented, “It’s a damn shame what happened when Elena and Jeremy’s parents died and they had to sell off the property. Everyone around here felt bad for them, but by the time we all found out about their debt, it was too late for us to do anything about it — some investors already had snapped up the property.”

            Caroline had no idea her storytelling was this captivating, but the way his gray eyes widened with every detail and his hushed voice as he asked, “And then what happened?” convinced her that maybe she should have been a writer after all. Everyone had at least one novel in them, she figured.

            “Well,” she began in a sour tone, “these investors came in and tore down the original structure because Enzo couldn’t get the historical society to declare it a landmark because it was _one year_ too young to meet the requirements for a historical site. And then, the investors sent in this conceited asshat who came into town, met with the original cafe’s staff, and fired all of them on the spot!” She clenched her fists, angrily starting to put away some of the zucchini, yellow squash and green beans as she realized the market hours were nearing the end.

            Klaus frowned, holding out a woven basket to hold the array of vegetables she’d gathered. “He fired _all_ of them,” he asked, clearly trying to work out the finer points of her story.

            “You bet. _Everyone_. We had a blowout party to give them a proper sendoff the other night down at Donovan’s Tavern.” She gritted her teeth as she thought about it some more. “Ugh! The rumor is that these investors are planning to turn the restaurant into a fine dining experience on the water, but this is _so_ not the place for that. In a town whose motto is ‘Keep Mystic Port weird,’ you can bet that no one is going to be that interested in foie gras and escargot. Plus, we’re hours away from large cities and airports, so the only tourists that come here are those that want a relaxed, casual vacation.”

            Caroline laughed, pushing back a few sweaty blonde curls from her casual knot at the base of her neck. “Seriously, the new owners did _not_ do their homework if they thought pretentious, over-priced and likely _way_ overrated food was the way to fit in with us.”

            Klaus added the last armload of bell peppers to the basket on one of her tables, and then straightened, offering her a tight smile. “Well, it seems I could have used your advice two months ago, sweetheart.” As she froze in place, horror dawning in her bright blue eyes, he added somewhat awkwardly, “I’m Niklaus Mikaleson, former CFO and apparently utter failure as a new restaurateur.”


	2. Tending What I Planted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Sexy times ahead!

            Caroline took a careful step back, moving a wooden display a few inches with her hip. “Oh! Um...” she began, obviously flustered. She was trying to gauge Klaus’ mood, but his expression was impassive, leaving her with little insight as to how to fix her inadvertent insults. “So...that was uncalled-for. What I said, I mean. I obviously don’t know you or what actual plans you have for the place, and it’s certainly none of my business how you decide to run your restaurant,” she hurriedly said, nervously moving one of the baskets overflowing with green beans back and forth a few inches between them.

            As a handful of green beans toppled out onto her wooden table, Klaus seemed to come out of his strange stupor and, shaking himself slightly, managed to say hurriedly, “So I should be going then. Lovely to meet you, Caroline.” He walked away, getting lost in the tourists who were flocking to various booths that ran specials on their unsold wares near the end of the day.

            Caroline smacked her forehead, groaning in embarrassment. Stupid. _Why was she so bad at this?_ At least he and his sister managed to unknowingly insult her first, but seriously, how had she missed the way he seemed _invested_ in what she had to say about the local eateries? She blamed those damned dimples. They were far too distracting. Shaking her head, she started plotting the best way to try to make amends. Maybe a fruit basket?

            That evening, she was heading down to the beach for a relaxing walk when she happened to see Klaus’ familiar form underneath an antique streetlamp. She felt her heart start to race and she couldn’t help but look down at herself, pleased that she’d showered and changed into a pretty teal sundress that accented her eyes. If attractive British men were going to start being a regular part of the town’s landscape, she was going to have to go shopping and replace some of her more threadbare beach-walking attire.

            “Hi,” she said, somewhat shyly, still unsure of how to handle the awkwardness of their initial meeting.

            “Caroline,” Klaus replied, his gray eyes seeming to come alive when he noticed her. The way his eyes lingered hungrily on her sun-kissed legs sent a thrill of anticipation through her. “I was hoping I might run into you tonight. My sister made plans, so I’m on my own for the evening.”

            Surprise colored her voice as she asked, “Really? You guys just arrived. What plans did she make?”

            With a smirk, he answered, “She apparently decided to take your advice and has allowed Enzo to give her a rather dubious-sounding tour of the town.” He peeked at her from underneath his thick lashes. “Perhaps I could trouble you for a tour as well,” he asked, his hopeful tone making her melt.

            She impulsively grabbed his hand, firmly leading him to an old brick building near the water’s edge. “Come on,” she said, excitement twinkling in her gaze as she explained, “I want to show you one of the first things I did when I moved here.” As they came to the glass doors, he raised a questioning eyebrow when he saw it was the township’s city hall. Noticing his expression, she pushed open the unlocked doors and led him toward a set of stairs along one side, telling him, “Enzo and the city council don’t see the point in locking the doors in this building because they say they have nothing to hide. They want everyone to feel like the building belongs to all of us, and they encourage us to come and go as we please.”

            When they arrived at the top of the stairs, she led him through a doorway that opened onto the roof where an elaborate garden flourished. The soothing sounds of the Gulf reached their ears, the waves gently lapping at the shore now that most of the boats had docked for the evening. Klaus took in the lush foliage of pygmy date palms, fragrant honeysuckle, and golden hurricane lilies, before his senses became overwhelmed and he stopped registering the amazing splendor before him. “This is breathtaking, love. You created all of this,” he asked in a hushed tone, the admiration in his voice boosting her ego.

            “Well, it was my idea but most of the town helped me put it together.” She tugged on his hand, leading him toward a stone ledge overlooking the Gulf. “This is my favorite part,” she explained, pointing to a series of clay pots all stacked off-center and strategically spilling water into each other. “One of the best sculptors in town, Bonnie, took my fountain design and built this by herself. I’m constantly amazed at the talent that you can find here, all in one place,” she mused, kicking off her flip flops and motioning for him to stretch out beside her on the wide chaise lounge.

            He smoothly folded his long frame beside hers, his simple black button-down had the sleeves rolled up, exposing his powerful-looking forearms that made her itch to touch them just to make sure they were real. He tugged self-consciously on a few necklaces that were poking out of his unbuttoned collar. “I’d like to apologize for what Rebekah and I said to you earlier. I realized after we awkwardly ended our discussion today that I was so flustered I never properly apologized.”

            She rolled onto her side to study him more carefully. The soft light of the stars overhead bathed him in a silver glow that made him seem almost ethereal. Her indulgent smile and the soft press of her warm palm against the firm lines of his chest seemed to awaken something within him, and his breath hitched ever so slightly. “I appreciate the sentiment, but let’s not forget I showed my teeth too. I ran my mouth about people and things that I’m passionate about, but I still shouldn’t have been so judgmental about someone trying to start a business here. I know what that’s like, starting over in a new place, and it wasn’t my intention to make you feel unwelcome here.” She gave him a shy smile. “Usually when I put my foot in my mouth, I make a fruit basket to go with my apology.”

            He laughed softly, informing her, “I just buy Rebekah shoes.”

            They shared a secret smile, but the intensity of his gaze was becoming difficult to ignore, so she resorted to her patented rambling. “When I came here, I felt this urge to transform a piece of this town, to make it mine. This garden was how I first staked a claim on the land. Tending what I planted here — that’s how I proved my commitment to this place and the people. I’m sure you’ll find your own path to that as well.”

            Klaus curled his hand over hers, holding it over his chest. “Would you tell me how you came to be here? I find myself quite curious about this town’s lovely protector.”

            She rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help the way her skin practically hummed with anticipation as she slid a few inches closer to him, their bodies curving toward each other ever so slightly. “Sometimes life gives you exactly what you _want_ and it’s nothing that you _need_.”

            The slight breeze tangled her blonde waves, and she brushed a few strands from her cheek, blushing a bit when she saw how Klaus’ fingers twitched as though he had to stop himself from touching her. “I was in a high-stress environment as a professor with an ever-expanding course load to teach and I was expected to perform ongoing research and publish regularly. Plus, the Board of Regents kept pressuring me to compromise curriculum and grading standards whenever students with certain influential familial connections attended.”

            Klaus made a noise of disgust, his fingers lightly grazing her bare shoulder. “So much for academic integrity. I’d like to think that my siblings and I made our way through university upon the strength of our applications and personal achievements, but I can’t ignore the doors that seemed to open just a bit more easily under the weight of our surname.” He frowned, adding, “Especially in my younger brother’s case. Every time I popped by for a visit, Kol’s flat reeked of pot and I’m quite sure when he graduated they likely needed to fumigate the place. Or possibly just burn it down and rebuild from scratch.”

            Chuckling, they relaxed against each other, and Caroline enjoyed the way that she seemed to fit so perfectly in his arms. With her head now resting on his shoulder, she looked up at the night sky and said excitedly, “We picked a perfect night to do this. There’s Taurus!” She traced the pattern with the tip of her finger, adding, “See? There’s his horns in that large v-pattern. This is the 17th largest out of the 88 constellations. Catalogued by Ptolemy in the second century, it carried great importance to ancient cultures because it was positioned in the path the sun travels each year, allowing them to mark the spring equinox and their planting seasons.”

            He squeezed her hand, smiling at her enthusiasm. “I’ve never given much thought to the stars before; I always thought the constellations rarely looked like what they supposedly depicted. Perhaps with your expertise you can change my mind.”

            She shivered at the implication that he expected them to spend more time together in the future. “I’d be happy to teach you. I miss the research sometimes, but at least the stars followed me down here,” she said with a wink. Resettling against his chest, she asked, “What about you? How did you end up here?”

            Klaus heaved a heavy sigh, and his handsome face darkened momentarily. “I was CFO of my family’s corporation, pledging my loyalty for years until I came across some underhanded dealings my father had perpetuated. While they weren’t necessarily illegal activities, they perched upon that invisible line that represents morality and had been crafted with such calculation that it was obvious that the intent had been malicious. I grew uncomfortable with the direction the business was taking and one day, I walked out of my office and didn’t look back.”

            He ran a soothing hand down Caroline’s back, her skin tingling in the wake of his powerful touch. “I’d always enjoyed food and had the good fortune to have made connections with those who could help me get started in the restaurant business. Frankly, the idea of remaining in the city where my father lived didn’t appeal to me, but neither did the idea of starting over in another one just like it. I started researching restaurants for sale in small towns along the East Coast, and now here I am.”

            “That must have been difficult, leaving behind so much of your family and your old life,” Caroline commented, propping herself up on one hand to look at him. She was mesmerized by the starlight that rested on his high cheekbones, and she realized that she had never connected with anyone so quickly before, and it was both exciting and terrifying. To distract herself from her racing thoughts, she asked curiously, “Is there anything you would have done differently after you made the decision to change your life?”

            His self-deprecating laugh flooded the small spaces between them, sinking into their skin and warming them with its hopeful tune. “Well, I would have kept my obnoxious snobbery a secret a bit longer around you if I could. Or, at least tried to be a charming wanker as I insulted your town.” After her delighted giggles died down, he added in a more serious tone, “My assistant, Lucien. His actions are something I would have changed and I fully intend to rectify that situation tomorrow. He had told me that the workers all quit. It appears he has a lot of explaining to do.”

            Her blue eyes sparkled as she smiled at him warmly. “Making amends with the cafe’s employees would go a long way to making things right with the town,” she said approvingly. “Although if Lucien wants to stick around, it might be awhile before people warm up to him. He’s become a bit notorious,” she added, attempting to stifle her laughter when she thought back to the day Lucien had strolled into the vegan smoothie shop, bragging about his supposed power.

            Word had spread rapidly about Lucien firing the cafe staff, so when he began his shameless and downright creepy stalker-flirting with Aurora, the shopkeeper, his fate was sealed. The fiery redhead had sweet-talked the clueless nitwit into having a prune-fig-pistachio soy milk smoothie, and the potent natural laxatives worked overtime on his apparently delicate system. He was walking bowlegged to his rental car at a speedy-but-squishy pace, and Enzo managed to get some hilariously gross pictures that he spitefully published in the town’s newspaper. 

            Klaus murmured lowly, “I think Lucien has decided to remain in the city instead. In fact, when I suggested he fly back down here and oversee the transport of restaurant equipment, he quickly declined, stating that he had plenty of last-minute details to wrap up instead.” He frowned slightly. “It was quite peculiar, honestly. But Lucien’s always been a bit of an odd duck.”  

            She stifled her giggles, her voice somewhat strangled as she said, “Yes, that _is_ strange.” She bit her lip, noticing the way Klaus was looking at her. The intensity of his gray gaze made her uncomfortably warm, and whatever he seemed to be search for within her he must have found, because suddenly he leaned forward to close the miniscule gap between them and kissed her softly.

            Caroline responded with enthusiasm, sinking her fingers into his curls as he pulled her under the comforting weight of his strong body. She rubbed her bare foot along his calf, the canvas of his trousers making a low, pleasant purr. He groaned into her mouth, increasing the pressure of his lips as he caressed the side of her face. She could taste the salt of the evening air upon his lips and she nibbled impishly on his bottom lip.

            Releasing a sexy growl, Klaus plunged a hand into her messy blonde waves, angling her mouth for a perfect, soulful kiss. His other hand wandered to the slim strap on one shoulder, delicately sliding it down her sun-kissed skin. At her shuddering breath, he bent his head to rain down kisses along her neck, sliding his tongue along her clavicle.

            Her hand tangled in the curious collection of leather and metal necklaces he wore, tugging at them gently until her lips could reach his skin. She liked the soft moan that he emitted as she sucked gently, feeling his pulse quicken at her teasing touch. She sank into the warmth of his hands and let out a pleasurable sigh when he lightly grazed her nipple until it was a stiff peak under the thin cotton of her dress.

            She boldly thrust her breast into Klaus’ eager palm, inciting another delicious moan from him and he pulled down the stretchy fabric of her sundress, exposing her soft mounds to his greedy gaze. His lustful stare captured hers, and he whispered reverently, “You’re stunning, love.” He ducked his head down to wrap his tongue around her nipple, sucking gently as he learned the secrets of her body.

            Holding onto his dirty blonde curls and pushing his mouth more firmly against her breasts, she groaned at the way he tasted her flesh, his lips and tongue and the tiniest nip of teeth driving her wild. When she started softly rocking her hips underneath him, he unlatched his mouth, his eyes dark and savage in the starlight. With a wicked smirk, he moved down her body, the muscles in his forearms flexing as he took his time to slowly back away until he was on his knees before her.

            The first feel of Klaus’ fingers brushing the short hem of Caroline’s sundress made her thighs shake, and his murmur of approval as he slowly inched the teal cotton up her toned legs had her panting with desire. Soon, he exposed her simple nude thong, the dampness he felt having nothing to do with the heavy humidity of the evening air. His fingertips traced a sexy pattern upon her trembling mound.

            “Please,” she said breathlessly, the need in her voice apparent as she shuddered at the feel of his fingers toying with one smooth edge. As she began to beg in earnest, he indulged her with one firm swipe of his finger, growling at her slickness. He quickly moved aside her thong, dipping a finger into her wetness, curling it _just_ so until she groaned. Adding another finger, he slid into her, creating a marvelous rhythm that had her bucking her hips against his hand, chasing that shimmering release that was so close to the surface. His thumb pressed down against her clit, triggering her cry of relief as she found her ecstasy in this secret moment.  

            With both of them still panting, she surprised him by slipping out from underneath his tense body, quickly settling on her knees beside him. Blue eyes alive with mischief, she purred, “I think it’s time I returned the favor. After all, it’s only polite.”

            She liked how his lust-blown eyes followed her movements greedily, and when she started to slip the top of her dress back over her unbound breasts, he stopped her. “Let me look at them.”

            Already feeling the familiar stirrings of her arousal building again, she nodded, bending down to run her hands over the bulge in his trousers. The way his erection practically leapt into her touch sent a bolt of electricity down her spine. Impatient to stroke his sensitive skin, she quickly unbuttoned his pants, diving into his boxers to release his hardened cock. That first strangled groan that left his lips was the sweetest sound she had ever heard. She gave him a knowing smile as she wrapped her fingers around his length, moving them teasingly across the tight flesh.

            Klaus bucked his hips into her hand, following the erotic pace she set, anxious for his release. She took her time with him, allowing her fingertips to dance across his tip, the tiny drops of his desire allowing her to easily glide her palm over his cock. His thrusts became more shallow as the tension built, and he moaned her name as he spilled in her hand.

            Seductively licking her fingers, Caroline settled back against Klaus’ chest, a tiny surprised squeak escaping her lips as he playfully pinched her ass. They lay against each other in comfortable silence, breathing in the salty air of the Gulf and listening to the surf gently rolling in.

            “Well, I suppose that’s one way to settle our differences,” he panted, a light chuckle escaping his lips.

            Squinting over at him, she wryly asked, “But, a pair of shoes is still negotiable, right?”

            Klaus answered with a grin, “Maybe if you throw in a fruit basket, love.”


	3. A Weird Alpha Male Button-Off

            A pirate hook — while an integral accessory to the most discerning of pirate fashionistas, did appear to be impractical when trying to grapple with multiple tofu packages. Caroline stood in the grocery store isle, watching with interest as the pirate’s forehead wrinkled in frustration before he finally yanked off the plastic hook so he could use both hands to hold his tofu.

            “I say, is there a festival today I was unaware of,” drawled a crisp British accent behind her. She turned to see Rebekah holding a half-full grocery basket and watching the pirate with amusement.

            Eying Rebekah’s beautifully tailored emerald green romper, Caroline barely resisted the urge to try to smooth out the wrinkles in her favorite t-shirt with the slogan, ‘Gardening Makes Me Thorny.’ Women like Klaus’ sister never failed to bring up old insecurities, but she could see from the other woman’s slightly anxious expression that she was clearly trying to be friendly since their initial encounter was fairly disastrous. “Actually, the pirate festival isn’t for another week. This is just a random Tuesday at the Mystic Port grocery store,” Caroline said with a giggle.

            Rebekah raised an eyebrow, continuing to watch the pirate as he refastened his plastic hook and moved on to the quinoa selection. “I see,” she said, clearing her throat slightly, “Enzo may have mentioned some of your charmingly eccentric neighbors last night.”

            Caroline observed with a wry smile the pretty pink blush that colored the woman’s high cheekbones when she spoke of her date with Enzo. She immediately had flashbacks of her own impromptu date with Klaus last night, from the wonderful shared conversations to the romantic stargazing...and then the _other_ sharing that happened between them. She could feel her own face starting to heat and she hoped that Rebekah didn’t notice. She hastily changed the subject with, “So I’m glad to see that you seem to be settling in ok. If you need anything, just let me know. Maybe if you and Klaus are free, you’ll think about coming to the pirate festival I mentioned. It’s a lot of fun and you’d get a chance to meet more of the townspeople.”

            “Enzo already um... _roped_ me into agreeing to be an apprentice ale taster on City Hall’s float.” She suddenly gave Caroline a flirty grin, “Maybe you could ask Nik to ride your _float_.”   

            As Caroline started to stutter an awkward response, she heard a sigh of irritation behind her. “Honestly dear sister, perhaps that thong-wearing lad from last night _rubbed off_ on you a bit too much?”

            She turned to find Klaus standing behind her, impeccably dressed in freshly pressed khaki slacks and an aquamarine polo. She tried not to feel self-conscious as she stood in between the perfectly styled siblings who looked like they were doing a commercial for the grocery store rather than actually shopping there. She didn’t miss the way the steel in his gray eyes seemed to soften as he looked at her, and his dimples came out to tease her as he said, “I was hoping I’d run into you today, sweetheart. I’ve already had a fairly eventful morning and would love to tell you about it.” He cocked his curly head to the side, chuckling as he added, “Although it’s possible you’ve already heard the latest gossip.”

            She shrugged, toying with the handle of her grocery cart as she answered, “Nope. I was tilling soil near the back of my fence to prepare it for the carrot crop, so I’m out of the loop. What happened?”

            Rebekah rolled her eyes. “He sacked his assistant, Lucien, this morning over that whole staffing debacle with the new restaurant. If you ask me, the way Lucien used to try to butter up our father was pathetic to watch. Wanker’s had that coming for years.”   

            Clearing his throat, Klaus added, “I also rehired everyone from the Gilbert’s payroll. They seemed quite pleased. In fact, Jenna kissed me on the cheek and told me that I just ‘buttered her biscuits’. I assume that was a positive thing?”

            Beaming at Klaus, she nodded excitedly. “It’s a very good thing. You have no idea the difference you just made to so many people. You weren’t kidding about the busy morning, either. Are all of your work days this exciting?”

            Smirking at her he answered, “Only if I keep running into you, sweetheart.”

            “Oh, for pity’s sake,” Rebekah grumbled good-naturedly. “You two are nauseating.” Shaking her head, she left the pair standing in the grocery isle, exchanging flirtatious smiles and lingering glances.

            A week later, the Captain Silas Pirate Fest was underway and Caroline was cursing herself for waiting until the last minute to find a costume and had to make do with a smaller corset than what she considered comfortable. Not that corsets were ever particularly comfortable. In fact, the one she was wearing had her breasts in a stranglehold and they felt like they were practically touching her chin. From the way Tyler Lockwood’s gaze kept casually traveling south, she wasn’t the only one that had noticed.

            She took a small sip of fruity rum punch from her plastic skull-and-cross-bones mug, considering the eager man in front of her. She couldn’t help but appreciate the way his flowing white pirate shirt was rakishly unbuttoned at his collar, dipping down to show off his muscular chest. He helped his family run Lockwood Grill, a locally famous barbecue hangout and one of her best customers. They claimed her habaneros, jalapenos and serranos helped them win the Anchor County baby back ribs cook-off this past year. While she’d always found Tyler attractive and his harmless flirtations always gave her an ego boost, he just didn’t seem to _do it_ for her. Perhaps it was because he didn’t have an accent?      

            As though summoned by her thoughts, Klaus suddenly appeared beside her, looking dangerously sexy in his black leather boots and billowing pirate shirt. His signature necklaces were peeking out, and she couldn’t help the faint blush that crept up her neck as she recalled the way she had tugged on them during their naughty little moment on the rooftop of City Hall. Shaking herself, she pushed those thoughts away, smiling brightly as she said, “Tyler, this is Klaus. He and his sister Rebekah just moved here. You guys actually have a lot in common.”

            “Doubtful,” Klaus said stiffly. Confused, she turned to see what caused his surly attitude and couldn’t help but think that his shirt looked like it was dipping lower on his chest than before. Not that she was complaining — it was a fine specimen and she was hopeful she would get to explore it further later on.

            “I just meant you both were in the food business. Tyler’s family owns the Lockwood Grill and Klaus is building a new restaurant.” She cheekily added, “If this keeps up, I may have to expand my garden again.”

            Tyler shrugged carelessly and answered, “Klaus looks like he knows a good thing when he sees it. Just make sure you save the _best_ peppers for me, Caroline.” She detected a hint of something off in Tyler’s normally friendly voice, and she squinted at his shirt too, thinking that she could have sworn it had come unbuttoned further while she had turned to address Klaus. Weird.

            “We’ll have to see about that, mate. I’m still debating our menu and seem to have room for several spicy entrees. I must confess I enjoy a bit of _heat_ ,” Klaus replied in a challenging tone, the steel gray in his eyes flashing as he drank from his own festival mug. She was momentarily distracted by the way his leather scabbard was slung low across his hips, but as her blue eyes traveled upward, she was certain more of his shirt buttons had come undone. Perhaps the pearl-like surface was slippery?   

            Caroline chuckled, telling Tyler, “I’m sure there’s more than enough room on both of your menus for peppers from the garden. Just let me know if there’s a specific variety I should start stocking.” She saw that now Tyler’s shirt was unbuttoned all the way to his navel and realized belatedly what was going on: Klaus and Tyler were having a weird alpha male button-off. She wondered idly if she continued to pretend not to notice if they would stubbornly keep at it until they were nearly as naked as Enzo.  

            Speaking of which, she suddenly noticed Enzo was standing nearby, wearing a black thong with a pirate skull on it and an enormous pirate hat with ridiculously long plumage, shamelessly taking pictures of Klaus and Tyler’s bizarre pissing contest. She would bet her prized heirloom tomato crop that those pictures would end up in the latest issue of the town’s newspaper, _The Heretic_.

            Rolling her eyes, she bid a polite goodbye to Tyler (who looked like he was debating taking off his shirt as this point) and steered a smug Klaus down the street overrun with locals and tourists, all dressed up in outlandish pirate costumes and cheerfully waving and cat-calling each other. “Well, as much as I enjoy a good pirate-themed striptease, what the hell was that,” she huffed, several blue herons twittering near her brown boots, as though agreeing with her assessment.

            Klaus took a large step around the gathering seabirds with the colorful blue feathers and red heads, who seemed determined to stalk them until they were fed. “Well, love, I couldn’t help but notice how lovely you looked in your costume and I also couldn’t help but notice how that Lockwood chap seemed to take notice as well, so I thought I’d introduce myself properly.” As he took a drink from his silly plastic skeleton mug, he added somewhat uncertainly, “I had assumed...after last night...that you were available, but perhaps you and Lockwood are...” he trailed off uncomfortably, taking another long sip.

            She smiled, inwardly breathing a sigh of relief that they seemed to be on the same page. “No, there hasn’t been anyone for a while now. In fact, I’m sure the town had decided I’d taken a vow of celibacy, but now that I’m hanging out with the mysterious sexy Brit, I suspect tongues already have started wagging.”

            He smirked down at her before lightly kissing the tip of her nose. “Good. And perhaps later you and I can explore this _tongue-wagging_ in greater detail, sweetheart.” He glanced up at the street sign, pulling her down White Oak Drive, explaining, “But first, I’d love to show you how construction is coming along on the restaurant.”

            “I’d like that,” she nodded eagerly, already seeing the familiar outline of a beach cottage where the Gilbert family’s cafe once stood. She still felt a pang knowing that the building where so many Gilbert generations had served Mystic Port was gone, but she understood that Klaus hadn’t purchased the land with malicious intent. He was a victim of circumstances just like poor Elena and Jeremy and didn’t realize the memories he had tarnished when he had torn down the old cafe.

            She objectively could admit that the beach cottage looked cheerful with its white paint and ruby red plantation shutters. She also liked the homey touches of the double rocking chairs placed strategically along the enormous front porch. As they headed toward the entrance, she took in the familiar view of the blue-green gulf. The sparkling waves were gentle on the white-sand shore and she knew people who had painstakingly decorated their boats for the parade later on would be breathing a sigh of relief that their carefully crafted designs wouldn’t bounce off the minute they entered the surf. She lightly traced the bold geometric pattern on one of the red throw pillows carefully stacked nearby, telling him, “My compliments to your decorator; they have excellent taste.”

            He chuckled, “Rebekah will be pleased to hear you say that. She insisted on selecting all of the design elements as she was concerned that my taste ran toward the stodgy and depressing.” As he ushered her inside, waving to a few of the contractors installing windows, he added in mock irritation, “Of course, she was basing that solely on my flat in New York, which in my defense was stuffed full of burdensome family antiques, and therefore, made the space seem a bit dark and cramped.”

            “Mine wasn’t much better,” Caroline admitted with a sigh. “Real estate is even more outrageous there in the City than it is down here and I was using every square foot in my place to store my antique telescopes and books.”

            Klaus perked up at the mention of a telescope and said with a flirty wink, “Maybe you would be willing to give me another astronomy lesson, sweetheart. I promise to be just as _studious_ as before.”

            She felt her cheeks redden immediately and playfully shoved him, accidentally knocking over a stack of notecards. Bending over to pick them up, she gasped when she recognized some of the names of the Gilbert family’s most popular dishes — from the fresh grouper sandwiches to the sweet potato fries to her all-time favorite — the key lime pie fritters.

            Noticing her reaction, Klaus explained, “I decided to take your unwitting advice from our first encounter and I’m collaborating with Elena and Jeremy on the menu. _Hybrid’s Dilemma_ is going to be a fusion of traditional, Florida home-style cooking with contemporary cuisine.” He glanced at her somewhat shyly as though gauging her reaction. “I’ve never felt particularly at home anywhere, but there’s something about this place that makes me feel as though I’ve found it. And I’d like to start off on the right foot with my neighbors.”  

            She gave him a hug, squealing in delight as she bounced on her toes. “I’m so happy you want to make this work here with all of us! You won’t regret it.” When she let go, somewhat reluctantly as she found she really enjoyed the way her body seemed to fit so snugly against his, she remembered something he said. Tilting her blonde head to the side she asked curiously, “Why _Hybrid’s Dilemma_?”

            He cleared his throat, looking a bit uncomfortable. He seemed to choose his words carefully as he explained, “When I said that I never felt at home before, part of that reason was my father, Mikael. As a child, I created an alter ego for myself that I named _Hybrid_. When I realized that I could no longer in good conscience work for my father, I was faced with the uncertain dilemma of what my path should be.” He squeezed her hand, adding softly, “And now, here we are.”

            Caroline could tell by his quiet demeanor that there was more to the story and his obviously complicated relationship with his father, but she didn’t want to push. Instead, she tugged on his hands, leading him back out onto the large front porch.

            Breathing in the warm, salty Gulf breeze, she gave him an impish grin, telling him, “Come on. Let’s go to my place and we’ll watch the boat parade. Later on, I might just give you that astronomy lesson you requested.”


	4. Like Foreplay with a Spork

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys – big news! I was nominated for the Klaroline Awards for the categories of: Best Comedy Author, Most Creative Author, and Best Crime/Mystery/Thriller Fic - Cursed Obsession! I can’t tell you how much your support for all of my work has meant to me – thank you so much!!! Don’t forget to vote for all of your favorite Klaroline nominees and their incredible work on the Klaroline Awards site!
> 
> Warning: Jumping right into the good stuff here with some sexy times! Also, thanks to ruxgluk422 for the funny button idea in the newsletter.

            Caroline was going to rip Klaus’ sword off with her teeth if it didn’t stop getting in her way. The curved plastic pirate sword kept banging against her knuckles as she blindly groped at his pants while returning his feverish kisses. She let out a gasp as his lips left hers to begin trailing down the column of her neck. Suddenly, he pulled back completely, favoring her with a devilish grin as he yanked out the thin sword from his scabbard and attempted to pop open the buttons on her scarlet corset.

            While she appreciated his adventurous style, she couldn’t help the snort that escaped her as she watched the cheap plastic wobble under the pressure of his impatient fingers. “It’s like foreplay with a spork,” she giggled, bringing his hand to her side where a zipper was concealed within the black-sequined lace.

            His gray eyes were alight with mischief as he slowly lowered her zipper, humming in appreciation as he told her, “I must confess that foreplay with a spork falls outside of my experience, love, but remind me to show you my skillset with a whisk sometime.” Just as she opened her mouth to ask him a flurry of teasing follow-up questions, he cut her off with another soul-scorching kiss while running his hands over her newly exposed flesh.

            Groaning at the sinful press of Klaus’ fingers into her skin, she gently pushed him back into the cozy alcove at the base of her stairs, settling onto her knees before him as he sat down on the cushioned bench. She spread his knees, licking her lips as she caught his lustful gaze. “Let me be good to you,” she purred, slipping her hands into his opened trousers.

            As Caroline swiped her thumb over his sensitive head, he took a sharp breath, his voice unsteady as he uttered, “Yes, love.” He leaned his head back against the white-washed paneling, his hips jerking against her confident strokes. She loved how he seemed to swell at her touch, and she took her time spreading a few drops of his desire for her over his stiff length, her strokes growing more confident with each helpless groan she seemed to pull from him. When she finally wrapped her red lips around him, he hoarsely called out, “Fuck! Yes, like that, love.”

            When she swirled her tongue around his head, he bucked against her lips, moaning. As he started to spill into her mouth, she quickly pulled back, shoving his cock between her bared breasts to catch every delicious spasm.

            With a sexy growl, Klaus surged forward with a ferocious kiss, mumbling against her swollen lips, “Naughty minx.” He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her onto his lap and pushing up the sides of her ruffled black satin skirt.

            Caroline was trembling with excitement as she settled against him, rubbing her dripping core against his soaked tip. “Klaus,” she breathlessly pleaded, “Make me come.” She slid her palms underneath his unbuttoned shirt, marveling at the smooth hard planes of his chest, plucking at his stiff nipples until he growled her name.

            He reached between them to grasp his cock, already starting to reawaken at the barest brush of her milky thighs. A devilish grin emerged as he pressed the swollen head against her clit again and again as she desperately rocked against him. She could feel herself getting close; the slightest touch of him left her burning and she softly bit his earlobe, making him shudder beneath her. Unable to hold back any longer, he slipped inside of her aching core, pulling her against him until it was difficult to feel where one body ended and another began.

            Every magnificent push of Klaus’ hips was met enthusiastically by Caroline grinding into him to create a scorching friction that made them tremble at its intensity. They both gasped at the marvelous connection, delighting in every slap of the skin as they rode their sweat-slicked bodies to completion.

            She slumped against him, catching her breath as she said, “That’s possibly the best sporking I’ve ever had.”

            He chuckled, kissing the tip of her nose as he answered, “Just wait until you’ve been soundly whisked, sweetheart.”

            Caroline slowly slid off of his lap, slumping next to him on the cushioned bench seat in the alcove. She grabbed the fluffy turquoise throw crumpled near the edge of the seat and wrapped it around her like a toga, much to Klaus’ amusement. She rested her messy blonde waves on his shoulder, sighing wistfully, “Pretty sure we missed the boat parade.”

            Raising an eyebrow, he looked down at her, replying, “Funny — I don’t feel as though I’ve missed a thing, love.”

            She rolled her eyes, secretly pleased by the warmth that suddenly flooded inside her chest at his sweet words. “We’ll just pretend we saw your sister on Enzo’s boat wearing the pirate wench thong Enzo picked out for her.”

            The look he favored her with was equal parts scandalized and amused. “Pirate wench thong?”

            Shrugging her shoulders, she wryly explained, “He said it was a _classy_ pirate wench thong. Apparently something from the Stella McCartney collection to make her feel more at ease.”

            “Right,” Klaus said faintly, shaking his head slightly. “Best not to dwell on that then.”

            Patting his hand sympathetically, she said, “Let’s get your mind off of it. Come on, I promised you another astronomy lesson.” She tugged him to his feet, leading him to the middle of her house where a spiral staircase wound up to a small rooftop porch.

            The warm sea breeze ruffled their hair, and Caroline breathed deeply, loving how the salt-tinged air always felt like a promise of endless, lazy summers. She gestured toward one of her favorite vintage telescopes that she had set up. “That was my grandpa’s.” She lovingly tapped the narrow, white-painted barrel, explaining, “He taught my dad all about the stars when he was a kid and then when I came along, my dad raised me on stories about the constellations.”

            “You are close with your family then,” Klaus asked, almost hesitantly as he stood next her to study the instrument curiously.

            “I was,” she shrugged, still feeling the bitter twinge that came whenever she thought about everything she had lost. “My dad passed away my freshman year in college. Heart attack.” She rushed forward, not wanting to linger on the painful memories any longer than necessary. “I lost my mother to breast cancer a few months before I moved down here.”

            Klaus silently wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into the warmth of his body. “I’m sorry, love,” he mumbled as he pressed a sweet kiss on top of her head.

            She leaned into his comforting embrace, breathing in his familiar scent of spice and tangy citrus. “I think it helped me be more spontaneous and once I understood the frailty and impermanence of everything, I realized that my life in the City wasn’t what I needed. This place called to me, and I found a peace I wish I could have shared with my family.”

            Realizing her throat was becoming raw with the threat of tears, she shook her head, swiftly changing the subject. “I thought tonight I could show you two of the more prominent constellations that makes it easier to navigate the sky to find others.” She leaned over to slightly adjust the front and back lenses, and then stepped back to allow Klaus to look through the eyepiece. “You should be seeing three bright stars almost in a vertical line. That’s Orion’s Belt,” she explained.

            “I’ve never seen it like this,” he said quietly. She could hear the wonder in his voice, and it pleased her to think that she was sharing something of herself that he seemed to connect with as well. “It’s nice to be reminded that there’s something larger out there, something greater than our own petty troubles,” he added thoughtfully.

            “It’s one of my favorite things about stargazing. Searching for different things in the night sky helps me forget about my problems. It’s somehow comforting,” she explained. As Klaus pulled back from the telescope, she made a slight adjustment to the magnification on the eyepiece and said, “You can use Orion’s Belt to draw an imaginary line to the upper right. That’s where you can see The Pleiades, or the Seven Sisters.”

            “Beautiful,” Klaus murmured, looking through the eyepiece at the glowing star cluster.

            “It’s like a tiny dipper full of stars and it’s visible from nearly everywhere on our planet,” Caroline elaborated, sinking into the warmth of Klaus’ hand at her back. “Orion’s Belt and The Pleiades were the first two constellations my father ever showed me. He always said that if I could find them, I could map the whole sky and make it mine,” she finished softly.

            Klaus straightened, pulling her against his strong body once more as they gazed at the peaceful night sky. “I envy the relationship you had with your father, sweetheart. He sounds like he was a good man.” He sighed, seeming to weigh his words carefully as he spoke. “My father is not a good man, but as a child, I merely thought the terrible things he said to us was because he wanted us to be at our best. We all clamored for his approval, and I even dedicated years of my life working at the family’s corporation, still trying to earn it, I suppose.”

            Caroline sympathetically squeezed his hand resting on her hip as she said, “That sounds awful. How did you leave things when you resigned?”

            He chuckled sadly, the heartbreak in his voice apparent. “Not well. My father is a singular force who always has gotten his way. This was the first time I had defied him and after he said some truly hateful things to me, he hasn’t attempted to contact me again since I left the City.”

            She turned around to place a gentle kiss on his cheek, the stubble pleasantly scratching her as she whispered, “I’m sorry.” In a more hopeful tone, she added, “Maybe he’ll come to his senses and you’ll hear from him soon.”

            He shook his head, the steel in his gray eyes flashing as he replied, “I think I’d prefer never to hear from him again. Let’s hope for that instead, sweetheart.” Hearing the determination in his voice made her hold her tongue, and instead she hugged him tightly, wordlessly offering her support as they stood together under the blanket of stars.  

* * *

 

            The next morning, Caroline was happily digging in to a plate stacked with homemade cinnamon-swirled pancakes that Klaus had surprised her with while she had slept in. They were sitting out on her second-story balcony, watching Mystic Port sleepily start its day. She had hoped he’d be able to linger over breakfast, but he’d already regretfully explained that he was expected to be in shortly to oversee a shipment of furniture for the restaurant and promised his sister he wouldn’t be late. Savoring the spicy, buttery burst of flavors on her tongue, she exclaimed, “These are amazing, Klaus! You should add this recipe to the menu before your grand opening.”

            “I’ve thought about expanding to serve breakfast, but I’m still short-staffed and don’t fancy having to get up an earlier than necessary, sweetheart,” he explained. “Besides, I only cook my pancakes for someone special,” he added with a dimpled grin.

            Taking a sip of her orange juice, she could feel her cheeks turning pink under his appreciative gaze. “Someone special? Have I met her,” she teased.

            Klaus leaned over the small bistro table, playfully tapping the roughened driftwood surface as he observed dryly, “Yes, as a matter of fact, she seems to be scrolling through pictures of our day spent at this silly pirate festival she insisted we attend.”

            Her lips curled into a knowing smile. “Admit it — you loved every minute of it. I was just clicking through this week’s newsletter to see what pictures Enzo posted from the...” she abruptly stopped talking, her blue eyes widening as she turned over her phone on the table and pushed it off to the side with her elbow in an overly casual manner.

            “Were those pictures from yesterday? How did they turn out,” Klaus asked, getting up from his chair to stand at her shoulder, gesturing for her to pick up her phone again.

            Caroline inwardly sighed. _Well, at least she’ll find out if he has a sense of humor_ , she thought. She slowly turned over her screen, the logo of the town’s newsletter, _The Heretic_ , emblazoned across the page with a lime green thong cheekily hanging from one side of the uppercase “H”. Rather than the usual friendly write-up about the Captain Silas Pirate Fest, instead the headline boldly read: “Sin(fully)bad” with a rather extensive sequence of pictures of Klaus and Tyler with the caption: “Captain Blue Balls and First Mate Tent-Pitcher on a quest to plunder someone’s ‘treasured island’.”

            From the curiously garbled noise Klaus emitted at the back of his throat, she assumed he noticed how Enzo had gleefully arranged the photos of their bizarre alpha male button-off so that it looked like a flipbook pirate strip tease. She let out an aggravated groan when she saw Enzo’s final comment full of mocking urgency as he urged the townsfolk of Mystic Port to “Please contact us with your own stories if you’ve experienced tragic button failure of similar epic proportions. Together, we can fight shoddy tailoring!”

            She carefully watched Klaus’ face, trying to gauge his reaction to what was admittedly a funny article that she was having to bite her tongue to keep from giggling. Finally, he shook his head, a small indulgent smile appearing on his handsome face as he set her phone back on the table. She allowed her shoulders to relax, feeling more at ease now that he seemed willing to laugh at the absurdity of the situation rather than get defensive.

            “Can I expect to get a generous discount in town now that I’m something of a celebrity, love,” he asked, smirking down at her.

            Caroline shrugged, dipping her finger still capped by fake ruby nails into the mango syrup puddled in the center of her pancakes, teasingly sucking on the tip as she watched Klaus’ gray eyes darken. That depends,” she answered coyly.

            He leaned down, rubbing his stubble-covered cheek against her neck as he whispered, “On what, sweetheart?”

            “How good you are with a whisk,” she said with a wicked smile.


	5. Cheeky Chairs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s note: You guys – big news! I won Best Comedy Author for the Klaroline Awards! I also was nominated for: Most Creative Author and Best Crime/Mystery/Thriller Fic - Cursed Obsession! I can’t tell you how much your support for all of my work has meant to me – thank you so much!!! 
> 
> Also, thanks to the guest who left me such an encouraging review about my writing; I’m so grateful to you for sending me such kindness and I hope you’ll continue to enjoy my work.

            The terrifying horde of zombies with their glowing blue eyes just weren’t bringing their ‘A’ game today. Caroline watched as they slowly trudged through the farmers’ market and then busied herself restacking a few pints of blueberries at her stand for The Bountiful Ceres. The zombies were practicing for Mystic Port’s upcoming Scary Scurry, a charity run that benefitted a local marine animal rescue center. It was a fun event that most of the town attended and she usually manned one of the ‘rescue’ booths along the route, handing out fruit and veggie smoothies while Enzo operated the ‘armory’ where he would hand out water guns to the runners.    

            Once the zombies had slowly moved away from the market, she helped one of her neighbors carry a pallet of root vegetables to their car and smiled when she saw Kat out for a walk with her two golden retrievers, Stefan and Damon. The two dogs were taking turns sniffing each other’s butts and enthusiastically humping each other like usual, and Kat was busy covertly spying on the orange-beaked shorebirds chirping on the sidewalk. She watched in amusement as Kat would inch closer and closer to them, unsure if she actually would try to pounce on one of them.

            While Kat still claimed to be a reincarnated Himalayan, she usually stuck to just grooming herself similarly to a cat. She was definitely one of the more eccentric residents in their sleepy little town, but she also was one of the kindest. Caroline watched in approval as Kat abandoned her birdwatching/stalking to help Alaric Saltzman, one of their elderly residents, hobble across the street with his walker. He waved to Caroline, calling something out that she couldn’t quite hear, so after a quick peek to make sure she didn’t have any customers waiting at her stand, she jogged over to them.

            “Caroline,” His gravelly smoker’s voice greeted her, “I’ve been meaning to call back your young man’s office. Please tell him that I’m sorry for not getting back with him sooner, but I’ve been busy with stone crab season, you know,” he finished apologetically.

            Caroline was confused by his words since everyone knew that the stone crab harvesting season wouldn’t start for another couple of months. She noticed that Kat had stopped playfully swiping at a small yellow butterfly to regard Alaric with a curious expression. “Sure, Alaric, I’ll let Klaus know,” she told him with a gentle smile.

            He nodded his thanks and allowed Kat to finish helping him cross the street, leaving Caroline wondering if Klaus had actually called Alaric or if he was simply mistaken. Alaric had always been a bit scatterbrained, but the older he became, the more confused he could be about certain things — which explained his mix-up about when stone crab season began. She made a note to ask Klaus about it and finished packing up her stand at the farmers’ market so that she could head over to his restaurant to join him for lunch.  

            Hybrid’s Dilemma had to delay its opening by a week because the extra rain that hurricane season always brought meant that the exterior painting had taken longer than expected. Fortunately, things had gone smoothly with the grand opening and his restaurant had been seeing steady business since then. She eagerly skipped up the steps of the wide front porch, passing several bistro tables where she rolled her eyes at the random buttons scattered on top. Ever since Enzo’s silly “Sin(fully)bad” article was published with Klaus and Tyler’s pirate striptease pictorial, the townspeople had been leaving behind miscellaneous buttons when they paid their checks. Klaus had cheekily been displaying them in large glass jars on the window sills, much to everyone’s delight.

            She spied Klaus wiping down the gleaming amber bar top made out of old sailboat planking. She leaned across to give him a quick peck on the lips before she joined him behind the bar to survey the bustling lunch crowd. “Hey,” she greeted him happily, “Alaric Saltzman wanted me to tell you that he’s sorry he hasn’t returned your office’s call yet.” She tilted her head as she remarked in confusion, “I didn’t know you still had an office.”

            “I don’t anymore, sweetheart. I left all that corporate nonsense behind when I cut ties with my family’s business,” Klaus explained. He seemed to measure his words carefully as he asked, “Did Alaric say anything else?”

            She shook her head, “No, that was it.” Shrugging she told him, “I wouldn’t worry about it. Alaric’s a bit scatterbrained and was probably just confused. He’s a fixture in this town — his family helped found it and he still owns quite a bit of land in the area including the Moonstone Nature Preserve where I’m doing the mangrove cleanup tomorrow. He’s one of our more eccentric neighbors and has this hilarious grudge against sweet potatoes. He thinks they’re pretentious and refuses to shop at my stand if I have them on display.”

            “I’ve never thought about root vegetables being pretentious,” he said in amusement. “Perhaps I should start charging more for the sweet potato fries, then?”

            She giggled, her blue eyes sweeping the busy restaurant. She smiled fondly when she spied Rebekah holding Enzo’s hand and giggling as he whispered something in her ear. She cocked an amused eyebrow as she noticed something when Enzo leaned forward. “Why is Enzo sitting on a kitchen towel?”

            “Health code,” Klaus answered with a grunt as he mockingly glared in the direction of the purple polka-dotted thong Enzo was currently wearing.

            “Hmm,” Caroline answered in understanding. “You know, all the other restaurants finally just designated a chair for him.” She rolled her eyes, chuckling as she informed him, “Enzo calls them his _cheeky chairs_.”

            “I swear, my sister has dated some wankers before, but that overconfident chap who wears bits of colorful dental floss is absolutely bonkers,” he said with a huff, distracting himself by pulling down a wine goblet and opening a bottle of chardonnay. As he poured her a generous serving, she couldn’t help the small flutter in her stomach as she noticed that he had selected her favorite locally made wine. She had taken him to the winery for a tasting on one of their first few dates, and it made her feel special that he remembered little things like that.

            Savoring the crisp, tangy taste of her wine, she commented, “And Enzo’s also probably the sweetest, most thoughtful _wanker_ she’s ever dated, I’m betting.” She slung a companionable arm around his waist, leaning her head on his shoulder as she added, “He commissioned Bonnie to sculpt a vase almost identical to the one that Rebekah told him had broken during the move down here. It apparently had a lot of sentimental value and he wanted her to have something that looked like home to her.”

            Klaus rolled his gray eyes, but she could tell by the gruffness of his voice that her words had gotten through to him. “The vase had belonged to our mother; something Rebekah had always admired as a child. After our mother passed, it was one of the few pieces that didn’t end up in storage.” Smiling wryly, he asked, “Bollocks, that odd little chap isn’t going anywhere, is he?”

            “Nope,” Caroline answered cheerfully, taking another sip of her delicious chardonnay as she watched a young man walk through the crowded restaurant and make a beeline for Rebekah and Enzo’s table. He was boyishly attractive with chestnut hair and a mischievous smile, and she was curious about the odd look on his face as he seemed to be silently contemplating Enzo’s thong. “Although it appears that our happy couple has attracted some attention from a cute stranger. I honestly can’t tell from here if he’s more interested in your sister or her date. He certainly seems taken by Enzo’s outfit though,” she mused, giggling at the irritated look on Klaus’ face.  

            Klaus cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably as he said, “Actually, that’s —”

            Her gasp of surprise cut off his explanation as she watched in amazement as the attractive stranger glanced around the room, seeming to take in the other considerably more clothed customers and shrugged his shoulders with a carefree expression on his face before quickly stripping out of his stylish clothes, suddenly standing before the couple in nothing but a tiny pair of black briefs. “Shit — did that just happen,” she asked incredulously, taking a large gulp of her drink.

            “Unfortunately, yes. And unlikely for the last time,” Klaus answered in a resigned tone. “That would be my younger brother, Kol. He just arrived today for what he calls an _open holiday_ , which means he’ll probably be underfoot for a while, I’m afraid.” He grimaced as Kol cheekily waved before lightly jogging to them with a gleeful smile on his face.

            “Brother! How long has it been? Maybe since that time a while back at Carnival in Rio and those tasty dancing birds we chatted up. Tell me, did you ever get all the glitter removed from your nethers?” Kol comically wiggled his eyebrows, clearly trying to get a rise out of his brother. At Klaus’ irritated grunt, he leaned toward Caroline, his voice playful as he told her, “I’m Kol, Nik’s more handsome, charming brother. And you must be the sweet Caroline that I’ve heard so much about.” He kissed her knuckles, a sly grin on his face as he watched Klaus matter-of-factly remove Caroline’s hand from his and lightly smack him on his head.

            Klaus grit his teeth as he said, “Mind your tongue, Kol. And as I told you on the phone, we’re building new lives for ourselves here and won’t have you mucking it up. If you intend to stay here for any length of time, then I expect you to behave yourself.”

            “Where’s the fun in that” his brother asked with that same sly grin. “He jerked his chin at Rebekah and Enzo who had slipped blissfully back into their own little world again. “Speaking of building a new life, what’s the deal with Rebekah’s _free-the-willy_ mate over there?” He winked conspiratorially at Caroline, telling her, “Not that I’m judging — I respect a man who’s confident about his meat and two veg.”

            Caroline glanced at Klaus with a raised eyebrow, enjoying the dueling emotions of embarrassment and brotherly aggravation that played out on her boyfriend’s face as he glared at Kol. She cheerfully explained, “That’s Enzo, Rebekah’s boyfriend and our town’s mayor. He’s a really great guy and treats your sister like a princess. That said, I suspect that in order to keep Mystic Port in one piece, we should probably keep you two troublemakers separated.”

            His brown eyes lit up at her words and she inwardly groaned as he said, “Mayor, eh? Well, that just screams possibilities, doesn’t it, pet?” With that, he gave a funny little bow in Caroline’s direction and a saucy little salute at Klaus before happily skipping back to Enzo and Rebekah’s table to pull up a chair.

            “You realize whatever happens next is entirely your fault, love,” Klaus murmured, pulling her close to brush her lips against his quickly.

            As she inhaled his signature aroma of spice and citrus, she felt herself get a bit breathless as she replied, “I suppose I could make you a fruit basket as an apology.” She delighted in the way his gray eyes darkened at her reminder of their first night together.

            “I’ll have the Gilberts close up for me tonight and can be over at your place by dinner to help you with your _basket_ , sweetheart,” he told her with a sexy growl, groping her ass under the cover of the bar, making her legs tremble in anticipation.

            Caroline lightly pushed against his charcoal polo, his firm chest warm against her palm as she playfully told him, “Stop that. We’re having lunch with your family and then I expect you to finish what you started later.”

            As he led her down the steps of the bar toward their table, he whispered in her ear, “Don’t worry love, I’ll see to it that we _both_ finish. Several times if I have anything to say about it.”   

            Caroline groaned as she felt her cheeks warm. _It was going to be a very long lunch._

 


	6. It’s a Fair Bit Larger than a Minnow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author’s note: Hey everyone and thanks for sticking with my story for so long! I needed a pleasant distraction from this crazy hurricane nonsense that’s creeping toward my backyard, so here’s another chapter of fluffiness to get us smiling. Enjoy! 
> 
>  
> 
> Warning: Delightful smut heading your way!

           The next day, Caroline was balancing on her battered paddleboard at the Moonstone Nature Preserve while bending over to pluck some empty Styrofoam containers that had washed up around the mangrove branches. The preserve was a gorgeous 170-acre estuary that connected to the Gulf. Since it was a partially enclosed coastal area, the water typically was calm, which made it idea for paddleboarding and kayaking. It also was a natural habitat for a variety of crabs, sea birds, fish, and clams, in addition to dolphins and manatees. It was one of Caroline’s favorite places to take her paddleboard or go for a hike and she volunteered with others from Mystic Port every few months to help pick up trash in the area.

            During lunch yesterday, Enzo had asked if Rebekah and Klaus would be volunteering today and Rebekah’s reaction had been a comical mixture of wide green eyes, eager nodding and a high-pitched voice that reassured the table that they volunteered all the time for mangrove cleanups and _of course_ they’d be happy to help. In addition, Kol’s snickering coupled with Klaus’ surprised glance at his sister were fairly obvious indicators that none of the siblings were especially familiar with mangrove cleanups, so Caroline was looking forward to seeing what the day would bring.

            She spied Enzo sitting on his paddleboard a few yards away, opening the net floating beside him to throw in a few aluminum cans while Bonnie playfully splashed him with the end of her paddle as she maneuvered her kayak around him. A few other volunteers excitedly pointed to a dolphin lazily jumping in the distance, its fin slicing through the gently rolling waves. It was a beautiful day and Caroline took a break from the cleanup to lean back on her paddleboard and bask in the sun’s rays.

            Suddenly, the peaceful calm of the nature preserve was loudly interrupted by a thundering roar like a jet engine and everyone looked around wildly trying to figure out what was going on. “Over there,” shouted one of the volunteers as they pointed in the distance. Caroline adjusted her dark sunglasses on the bridge of her sweaty nose, blinking in confusion at the gigantic purple and black speedboat that seemed to have stopped at the mouth of the estuary. She saw three figures who seemed to be having a loud argument if the exaggerated arm movements were anything to go by. As though sensing they had an audience, all three figures turned to wave somewhat sheepishly at the group of volunteers floating beside a large cluster of mangroves.

            “Is that...did Klaus and his siblings seriously drive a speedboat the size of the Chrysler Building to help with the mangrove cleanup,” Caroline asked incredulously.

            Enzo shook his head, chuckling, “It would appear so, gorgeous. Apparently, it didn’t occur to them that the nature preserve is far too shallow for a boat and none of us thought to tell them that we do the cleanup using kayaks, paddleboards and the like so that we can easily move among the mangroves.”

            Caroline couldn’t hold back a giggle as she watched the three siblings haul out what appeared to be an inflatable yellow raft typically used for emergencies and seemed to struggle with getting it to properly expand to hold them all. As they awkwardly started to paddle into the nature preserve, Caroline noticed that Kol appeared to be wearing a white captain’s hat as though he was maneuvering a yacht rather than a life raft.

            “I should have realized Rebekah had no idea what a mangrove cleanup entailed considering she told me last night that we should be sure to pick out a few mangroves for some smoothies,” Enzo said dryly, waving at Rebekah with an indulgent smile on his face.

            Caroline couldn’t contain her giggles at Enzo’s revelation, but as Klaus’ sculpted bare chest came into view, she found herself distracted by memories of how firm it felt underneath her fingertips and the way she could make him moan when she played with his nipples. Blushing furiously, she hoped that everyone would just assume it was the heat from the sun rather than the fact that staring at her bare-chested boyfriend turned her back into a hormonal teenage girl.

            A lazy smirk settled upon Klaus’ face as he watched her, as though he could read her thoughts. He jumped into the water and swam the remaining few feet over to her paddleboard, brushing his wet curls from his forehead as he regarded her with obvious interest. “Hello, love, you look incredible,” he greeted her in his delicious accent.

            She fought the urge to preen under his attention, and she refused to let him know how she had tried on every swimsuit she owned this morning and posed in front of her mirror trying to decide which one to wear. She had finally settled on a tangerine one piece with bold cutouts along the sides since she knew that a bikini would never stay in place with all of the moving around you did during a mangrove cleanup. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Rebekah seemed to be learning that lesson the hard way as she couldn’t go but a few moments before she was having to adjust her top to keep it from wandering all over her enviable curves.

            “You look...well, you know how you look,” she teased him, leaning over the side of her paddleboard to give him a quick kiss.

            “But everyone knows _I_ look the best,” Kol boasted, proudly standing in the middle of the life raft with his hands on his hips as he showed off his ridiculous zebra-striped thong. He grinned wickedly at Caroline and said, “Sweet Caroline, did Enzo tell you the good news? He’s making me his vice mayor!”

            Enzo groaned as he pushed off of his paddleboard to wade closer to a snarl of tree branches to untangle a large knot of fishing line. “That would be _deputy mayor_ and I told you yesterday that it’s not a title I can just _give_ someone; the town has to vote for you. Also, we already have a deputy mayor.”

            Comically wiggling his eyebrows at Caroline and Klaus, Kol slyly told Enzo, “Then perhaps I could follow in your footsteps and become a photojournalist for your newsletter. I seem to recall a _hard_ -hitting piece about mysterious button loss the other day and I find myself curious to _expose_ more...for the good of the town of course.”

            “Kol,” Klaus growled in warning, clearly picking up on Caroline’s embarrassment. He took a swipe at his brother’s leg, almost succeeding in knocking him out of the small raft while Rebekah rolled her eyes at her brothers’ antics.

            Enzo helped Caroline open the trash bag secured at the end of her board and together they dumped a cracked Frisbee and several plastic bags in it. Enzo pulled himself back onto his paddleboard when Rebekah shrieked and pointed at his crotch, yelling, “It’s a minnow!”

            While Klaus and Caroline exchanged uncomfortable glances, Enzo looked down at his bold red thong and said coyly, “Well, now, I’d say it’s a fair bit larger than a minnow, gorgeous.” He chuckled, then seemed to take a closer look. “Bollocks — there actually is a minnow,” and then shamelessly did a little wiggly dance on his paddleboard while safely relocating the tiny stowaway back into the water.

            Kol sighed dramatically and proclaimed, “I need a pretty little bird to tell me when bait is trying to munch on my naughty bits.” He perked up when he noticed Bonnie paddling by in her kayak and pointedly ignoring him by pulling down the brim on her floppy straw hat. With a wicked grin, he jumped off of the raft and began paddling her way, shamelessly telling her that he never had a fetish for headgear until that moment.

            Shaking his head at his brother, Klaus held another trash bag open for Caroline to throw away a few more plastic bottles she had collected. “You’d think that Kol had just been granted shore leave the way he behaves,” he grumbled.

            “Well, I do hear that there’s a port on a western bay and it serves a hundred ships a day,” Enzo said with a silly smile as he paddled over to Rebekah to give her an enthusiastic kiss.

            Caroline giggled, adding, “Lonely sailors pass the time away and talk about their homes.”

            “Are you two actually quoting lyrics from ‘Brandy’,” Klaus asked with an indulgent smile, playfully splashing Caroline.

            Before she could answer, Matt, a volunteer who also ran Donovan’s Tavern, began harmonizing with another group on the other side of the mangrove cluster. Together, they sang, “There’s a girl in this harbor town, and she works layin’ whiskey down. They say, ‘Brandy, fetch another round.’ She serves them whiskey and wine.”

            The incredulous looks on Rebekah and Klaus’ faces caused Enzo and Caroline to laugh as they both wobbly stood up on their paddleboards, raising their hands to the sky as they belted out the well-loved chorus, “Brandy, you’re a fine girl, what a good wife you would be. But my life, my lover my lady is the sea!”

            The rest of the volunteers waived their arms in the air and did an awkward ‘car-dance’ sequence in the confined spaces of their kayaks while Kol excitedly led them in the catchy refrain, “You’re a fine girl, such a fine girl,” while Klaus and Rebekah clapped along merrily. As the final notes of the song faded away, everyone laughed, catcalling and teasing each other as they got back to work.

            Later that afternoon after the cleanup was complete, the volunteers started packing up their things, while Rebekah and Kol fought over the keys to the speedboat. Caroline and Klaus watched them drive off with Enzo, still arguing while Enzo stole Kol’s captain’s hat.

            As the noise from the massive speedboat faded away, Klaus asked her teasingly, “Tell me love, is bursting into song a regular occurrence around here?”

            She playfully splashed him, bobbing closer in the warm water. “I wouldn’t say ‘regular’. I mean, there was the time that some of us spied Bonnie walking into the bank and we knew she was trying to secure a loan for her gallery, so we started singing, ‘Eye of the Tiger’ in the parking lot — complete with Rocky-style air-punching. Oh, and then there was the time that Matt’s mom drunkenly started hitting on Tyler and several of us helpfully started singing ‘Stacy’s Mom’...” she trailed off with a fond smile on her face.

            He laughed, shaking his head. “You live in such a delightfully quirky town.”

            She poked him in the chest, his smooth, hard muscle making her slightly dizzy as she watched water droplets roll off. “It’s your town too, buddy. And we expect you to be just as protective of it as we are.”

            “I intend to be, sweetheart. I suspect I would be tarred and feathered and run out of town if I did anything to anger my neighbors,” he observed with an arched eyebrow, wiping away the sweat at his temple.

            She readjusted her arm slung across the paddleboard holding it in place and told him cheekily, “Only if it was a major screw-up. Otherwise, I’d protect you.”

            “I appreciate the vote of confidence, sweetheart.” He hesitated a moment, as though gathering his thoughts and then said in a softer tone, “I’ve really appreciated the way you and your friends have welcomed my family. You’ve made us feel like we belong. It’s a gift I’m not entirely sure we deserve, but we’re thankful nonetheless,” he finished uncertainly.

            Her blue eyes softened and she took off her sunglasses so that he could see her sincerity. “Of course you deserve it. We’re all so happy your family moved here and I can’t imagine a moment in my life now where I wouldn’t miss you.” She leaned forward to envelop his lips in a kiss that she meant to be a brief tap, but Klaus quickly wrapped his arms around her waist and hauled her body against his, deepening the kiss until she was gasping for breath.      Feeling a sensual surge of energy go down her spine, she pulled away with a wicked grin and commanded, “Sit on the paddleboard.”

            The confusion on his face as he did as she commanded was soon replaced by a wave of lust as he watched her hands quickly untie the water-logged knot on his blue-striped swim trunks, easing them down his hips until she exposed his rigid flesh. She pulled herself out of the water slightly by placing her forearms on either side of his hips, leaning over to draw a seductive line down his hard cock with the tip of her tongue.

            The harsh intake of his breath was all the encouragement Caroline needed to take him fully in her mouth, applying just the right amount of suction to cause him to exhale her name like a desperate prayer. As she moved her mouth along his length, she felt him swell further, and the sexy little groans coming from him caused her to speed up her efforts.

            Klaus’ hips began to jerk wildly, and she could taste the first salty traces of his desire. She swallowed around him, savoring his helpless sigh as he spilled in her warm, welcoming mouth. As she finished cleaning his softening flesh with her tongue, she licked her lips, feeling his heavy gaze upon her.

            The steel gray of his eyes as they darkened with lust made her feel incredibly desirable and the naughty smirk he wore let her know that they were far from finished. He slid back into the water, looping one powerful arm around her waist and dragging her paddleboard with the other as they waded back to the sandy shore. He wordlessly positioned the board on a stretch of white sand shaded by a large stand of jacaranda trees, their thick branches heavy with bright purple blooms.

            He gently pushed her back onto the board and then pulled off his swim trunks before climbing on top of her, slowly running his hands over her breasts and tweaking her hard nipples as they poked through the thin fabric of her suit. His fingers fumbled at the base of her neck, finally unlatching the clasp so that he could expose more of her ivory skin to his lips. She loved the electric feel of his kisses on her damp flesh and she trembled with excitement as his fingers edged closer to her center. That first delicious press of his finger against her slit sent her reeling, and she spread her thighs to encourage his movements.

            He chuckled, his accented voice seductive as he observed, “Eager are we, love? Don’t worry; I know what you need.” He quickly pushed the soaked crotch of her swimsuit to one side, easily sliding in two fingers that caused her to pant his name. Smirking at her reaction, he increased his speed, pumping his hand into her as she writhed below him. She barely registered the gentle caress of the waves as they washed over their tangled legs, so caught up in the delicious friction he caused.

            As she began to clench around his fingers, he quickly replaced them with his thick length, moaning at the feel of her quivering core. She curled her legs around his waist, pulling him into her as he began his powerful thrusts. He hoarsely shouted her name as she scratched down his sweat-slicked back, and he rubbed sensual figure-eight patterns into her flesh again and again as she felt her orgasm explode through her body.

            They clung together as they caught their breath, their sweat mingling as Klaus looked down at her tenderly. Caroline felt her heart flutter as she caught the gentleness in his gaze and she wondered if she had ever felt more at peace. This amazing connection they shared was special and she knew how lucky she was to have found it with someone like him. After exchanging a few more soft kisses, they redressed and then trudged up the sandy bank and down the winding pathway toward Caroline’s car.

            They noticed that a large sign had been put up near the entrance while they were out on the water, and they walked around the front to have a proper look at it. As Caroline studied the sign, she felt her heart thud in her chest, blood boiling as she read aloud, “Coming soon! Luxury condos along the Moonstone Nature Preserve waterfront — brought to you by Original Hunter Industries!”

            She balled up her fists, shrieking, “What the hell is this?! These assholes can’t just come in here and do this to our town! This is a nature preserve, for fuck’s sake! It’s protected land!” Her thoughts were racing as she felt a fierce protectiveness for the town she had grown to love wash over her. These selfish, soulless bastards wouldn’t get away with this. She refused to let them destroy her beautiful home.

            Caroline was so busy already mentally making lists of who to call and what committees to petition that she failed to notice how pale Klaus had become as he studied the sign.      


	7. We’re Facing ‘Margaritaville’ Anger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for sticking with my story — I appreciate all of the messages and it’s lovely to hear that you guys are excited to see where this is heading next! Shorter chapter this time, but I wanted to get something out to you guys before I get back to writing for Klaroline AU Week — it’s next week and I can’t wait for you to read what I’m putting together!

            The debate over what color zombies were most attracted to had been raging for a while now at the town hall, but Caroline was too exhausted to be fully invested in the outcome. Enzo had called her over to discuss the final details for Mystic Port’s upcoming Scary Scurry, a charity zombie run, and they finally were wrapping things up with a discussion regarding the color of the breakaway flags the runners would wear that the zombies would try to snatch during the event. As though sensing her indifference, Enzo seized the moment and announced, “So, it’s settled then — bright pink to represent juicy brains. Red is just a silly notion — they’re zombies, not bulls.”

            She nodded distractedly as she made a few notes. She’d felt unsettled the last few days and finally had realized it was because Klaus had been unusually distant. He’d claimed his restaurant had been keeping him busy, but she couldn’t help but notice the way his familiar smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. She refused to give into the mild panic she felt at the prospect of problems this early in her relationship, and instead she’d focused on selecting her best crops for energy smoothies to donate to the charity run.

            “Everything ok, Gorgeous,” Enzo asked her quietly, his caring tone nearly causing her eyes to water.

            She shrugged her shoulders, studying the runners’ trail Enzo had mapped out through Wickery Bridges Park to give herself time to rein in her ridiculous tears. “It’s no big deal. Just Klaus being kind of preoccupied lately is all.” _She hoped that sounded as nonchalant as it did in her head._

            However, her friend seemed to see right through her and nodded sympathetically. “Rebekah and Kol have been out of touch as well. In fact, when Kol first heard about the run, he immediately started prattling on about finding a Night King of the White Walkers thong, but he hasn’t said a peep in days.” He crossed his arms in aggravation, adding, “And Rebekah didn’t even bat an eye when I suggested we could be his army.”

            She felt slightly relieved to hear that it wasn’t just Klaus behaving oddly. Clearly there was some sort of family drama going on that had nothing to do with her. Patting Enzo’s arm lightly, she offered him a small smile as she finished gathering her things to leave. “Want to throw off this Mikaelson slump we’re in and go grab a soy smoothie at Aurora’s?”

            “Another time, Gorgeous. I’ve got a meeting with the council to discuss this nonsense about the condo development at the preserve,” he answered grimly.

            Caroline felt her blood boil when she thought of that awful sign announcing that Original Hunter Industries was building luxury condos in the Moonstone Nature Preserve. She couldn’t understand how something like this could happen on protected land. “So what’s the latest? Has the council reached ‘Cheeseburger in Paradise’ anger levels or are we at ‘It’s 5 o’clock Somewhere’ status,” she asked, recalling the mob scene at Donovan’s Tavern last night where everyone was shouting all at once, but no clear course of action was decided.

            “Neither. I’m afraid we’re facing ‘Margaritaville’ anger,” he said with a shudder.

            She couldn’t hold back her surprise. “Woah — that’s turbo-Buffett anger levels.”

            Enzo let out a snort at her remark, but his tone was serious when he told her, “So far, we’ve managed to figure out that this real estate developer, Original Hunter Industries, somehow tricked poor Alaric into selling his land to them and managed to get him to forget to include the standard terms of the protective conservation easement, which means that now the land can be developed however the new owner chooses.”

            Caroline was shocked. “That’s terrible! Poor old Alaric was probably so confused by the contracts and I’m sure that sleazy developer went out of their way to make it as complicated as possible. Whatever you guys are planning, just let me know how I can help.” As she opened the door, she declared, “Let’s send this asshole developer back to hell.”

            He laughed and told her, “The developer is actually out of New York, but I suppose that’s close enough.”

            Shaking her head and chuckling, Caroline left City Hall and was heading toward Aurora’s when her phone rang. She couldn’t deny the way her heart fluttered when she saw that it was Klaus. He hadn’t contacted her in days — she had been the one to initiate their interactions lately. She happily answered and was immediately taken aback by all of the background noise she heard. “Hey, Klaus! Where are you? You sound like you’re in the middle of a parade.”

            Klaus’ voice sounded strained as he answered, “I’m actually at the airport, love. I uh...had to take an unexpected business trip.”

            There was a shuffling noise as though he was trying to rearrange luggage and Caroline could hear a loudspeaker announcing departing flights. She felt a pang as she realized that he hadn’t even bothered to tell her good-bye in person. She had thought they had the kind of relationship that warranted an in-person good-bye. _If she’d been wrong about that, what else was she wrong about?_ The unwelcome thought floated to the forefront of her mind, and she impatiently batted it away. Fighting to keep her tone even, she said, “Is everything alright? Where are you going?”

            “Things are fine, sweetheart,” he answered hurriedly. “There’s just some things I need to tidy up in New York. I’ll try to be back soon.”

            She frowned at the abruptness in his tone, the one that indicated a wall was going up and no further questions would be welcome. “Okay then,” she said in an overly chirpy voice, “Well, safe travels and I’ll see you when you get back!” Cringing at her awkwardness, she hung up after his mumbled good-bye.

            Groaning, she rubbed her forehead, readjusting her purple headscarf when it shifted slightly. _What the hell was wrong with her? Why did she feel so unsettled right now just because Klaus was going on an unexpected business trip?_ She crossed the street, and nearly tripped over her wedges when a thought struck her. _Klaus was going to New York for business just days after the land developer announcement. The land developer who was based in New York._

            She shook her head. No — just no. New York was huge and it was clearly just a coincidence. Except she suddenly recalled the conversation she had with Klaus the day Kol arrived:  

_“Alaric Saltzman wanted me to tell you that he’s sorry he hasn’t returned your office’s call yet.” She’d been confused when she told Klaus, “I didn’t know you still had an office.”_

_Klaus had told her easily, “I don’t anymore, sweetheart. I left all that corporate nonsense behind when I cut ties with my family’s business.”_

_And then he’d asked her, “Did Alaric say anything else?”_

Heart pounding in her chest, Caroline felt sick as she played out their conversation in her mind over and over again. Knowing she wouldn’t be satisfied until she got some answers, she squared her shoulders and marched straight to the Hybrid’s Dilemma. She hesitated when she saw the familiar stand of palm trees next to Klaus’ restaurant. She was about to invade Klaus’ privacy. _It was wrong_. She chewed on her lip, wishing there was someone she could talk to about this, but all of her friends cared as deeply about Mystic Port as she did and if she even hinted at her suspicions about Klaus, he’d instantly be a pariah. _But what if she was right?_

            She crossed the wide front porch, waving to the locals she saw dining by the Gulf, the gray and white seagulls chirping overhead. Jenna greeted her with a smile and said, “Hey Caroline! You just missed Klaus. He hurried out of here to take care of some business up north.”

            Feeling her unnatural smile stretch across her face, Caroline answered brightly, “He told me he’d be gone for a bit on business. I lost my bracelet and wanted to see if it fell off when I was in his office the other day.”

            With a knowing wink, Jenna said, “Well, from the noises we heard, the shenanigans you got up to would be more than enough to knock off a bracelet. Apparently, the boss man _really_ likes your fruit baskets.”    

            She could feel a blush creep up her neck and she swallowed back the bile that threatened to rise in her throat when she recalled how one evening she’d brought Klaus a fruit basket because it had become an inside joke for them, and he had proceeded to enthusiastically show her his appreciation in his office.

_His seductive smirk as he trailed a finger along her collarbone before untying the top of her daisy-print sundress. The smooth slide of the fabric as it fluttered past her hips. The way his gray eyes darkened before he kissed her soundly. His satisfied groan as she outlined his prominent bulge with her palm._

            She’d gone home wearing a silly grin that stretched for miles with bruises on her hips and a new appreciation for the solid craftsmanship of his office furniture. She let out a choked noise that she did her best to turn into a small laugh as she replied, “We thought you guys already had closed up for the night or else we would have held off on our _shenanigans_.”

            Jenna waved her off as she headed back toward the kitchen. “No worries. Just glad to see you so happy these days, Caroline. We’re taking some key lime pie fritters out of the oven soon — do you want a couple to take home?”

            Caroline shook her head no. Her appetite was gone until she could put this mess behind her. She headed into Klaus’ office in the back, doing her best to push aside the steamy memories of their time spent in there. When she shut the door behind her, another wave of guilt washed over her. _What was she doing? Was she really willing to break his trust like this?_  Letting out a helpless sigh as she stared at his messy desk, she realized she didn’t even know what to look for.

            A large, crumpled ball of paper caught her eye. Curious, she opened it and immediately felt her heart sink at what she read. It appeared to be a lengthy contract signed by both Alaric and Klaus. She felt hot, angry tears appear as she noticed that Klaus’ former assistant, Lucien, had notarized the document. Well, he obviously was not as _former_ as Klaus had led her to believe. Why did she believe Klaus when he said that he’d fired Lucien? The contract appeared to be finalizing the terms of the sale of Moonstone Nature Preserve and her eyes widened when she saw that Enzo was right — the typical protective easements weren’t included in the terms, so the buyer was free to exploit the land however they wanted. Moonstone Nature Preserve was about to be overrun with condos.

            Caroline angrily threw the contract back on the desk, the signature line mocking her as she unwillingly read, “Klaus Mikaelson, CFO of Original Hunter Industries.”

 


	8. One Lying Mikaelson Meant Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: A bit of angst to work through in this chapter.

            _Kol had started wearing clothes again_. That’s how bad things had gotten in the past few days since _Contract-ageddon_. Once Enzo and the rest of Mystic Port’s city council had received copies of the final contracts with Klaus’ damning signature, the locals turned the coldest of shoulders upon the Mikaelsons. Hybrid’s Dilemma stood nearly empty except for a handful of tourists who were unaware of the sudden quagmire of local politics.

            Rebekah had barely been seen out in public and the few times Caroline had noticed her, she felt her heart sink when she saw how the townspeople gave her a wide berth. Rumors ran rampant about what Klaus’ siblings knew, and most were in agreement that one lying Mikaelson meant three lying Mikaelsons.

            _And then there was Klaus_. Ever since he’d arrived back in town, he’d tried texting and calling Caroline several times each day, but she just couldn’t bring herself to respond. She was too hurt and too angry and she knew that nothing good could come from her confronting him before she was ready. Whenever she steeled herself to look at his texts, she found them frustratingly vague and far too short to give her anything useful to deconstruct: “Call me.” “Need to talk.” “Now.” If anything, his sparse words only further inflamed her, as though he was trying to force her to make peace with his betrayal.

            She sighed, swiping at a stray tear as she resettled into a more comfortable cashmere-blanket-covered lump on her teal chaise. Normally, the view of her lush, vibrant garden made her smile, but today it only brought her misery as she recalled how she first met Klaus selling her produce.    

_His crisp British accent had intrigued her: “The Bountiful Ceres? A bit on the nose, don’t you think, sweetheart?” Of course, she’d refused to be charmed when he was being such a condescending asshat, regardless of how strangely erotic she found the way he fiddled with her cubanelle peppers._

_She’d kept her voice prim and businesslike as she gestured toward the baskets of berries and asked, “So what can I get you today?”_

_Klaus had laughed at her obvious irritation and said, “Anxious to be rid of me, sweetheart? And here I was hoping you could tell me what surely must be a fascinating story of how you ended up here.”_

Caroline picked at her chipped nail polish, scattering violet flakes across her blanket. _Anxious to be rid of me. How you ended up here_. Klaus’ words played on a continuous loop in her mind, taking on a darker meaning now that she had seen the contract. She had allowed herself to be swept away by his sexy, charming ways, and failed to see that he was using her.   She grimaced as she realized that she was the perfect way in for someone as opportunistic as Klaus. Her long-term friendships and positive reputation in the community gave him all the leverage he needed to get poor, confused Alaric to trust him enough to sell his land. Before she could sink further in her despair, an impatient knocking at her front door caught her attention.

            Caroline wrapped the blanket around her tightly, rolling her eyes as she flung open her front door, assuming it was Enzo wanting to go over the details of the Scary Scurry yet again. He’d been hyper-focused on the charity event, clearly trying to avoid Rebekah, and Caroline had done her best to be a supportive friend even as she tried to work through her own complicated emotions. The drawback to living in a small, close-knit community like Mystic Port was the fact that everyone knew you and tended to get overinvested in your life — she suspected that Enzo was just as tired of the pitying glances and the inquiries in hushed tones of concern from the residents as she was.

            However, it was Klaus who stood on her welcome mat, cold steel in his gray eyes as he looked her over critically. “Caroline.” His normally honeyed accent was brittle as he practically snarled her name.

            Caroline shivered at his frosty glare, tugging her cashmere blanket closer around her body. She knew she didn’t want to have this argument inside her home where they had made so many wonderful memories. She couldn’t bear the thought of ruining those moments now that they were all that was left. Straightening her spine, she brushed past him to stand on the porch, pulling the front door shut behind her.

            He scoffed, crossing his arms angrily as he stated, “Apparently, I no longer warrant a cordial invitation into your home, sweetheart? And here I thought you prided yourself on your Southern hospitality.”

            She bristled at his ugly tone, her nails digging into the soft fabric of her blanket as she answered briskly, “I’ve no interest in dragging this out, Klaus. Also, are you seriously pissed at _me_ , right now? Unbelievable!”

            “ _I’m_ unbelievable? _You’re_ the one who’s been avoiding me for days, hiding behind this childish tantrum,” he replied, his lips curling into a sneer.

            She stomped her feet, kicking at the curled-up edge of her ‘Beach, please,’ welcome mat. “My _childish temper_ was completely warranted the second I read that contract in your office and discovered your betrayal, Klaus.”

            “About that — it’s a nasty bit of business to go about snooping in places that aren’t your own. Tell me, love, are you so plagued by insecurities that you cannot fathom affording me the _slightest_ sliver of trust,” he asked venomously.

            Caroline shook her head angrily, the indignant squawk of a white pelican across the way echoing her outrage. “Seriously?! You want to lecture _me_ about trust? You think _my_ actions are worse than yours?! You used me, Klaus! You pretended to like me and all the while used my ties to this community to weasel your way into a land deal that will destroy our nature preserve!” She grimaced, adding in disgust, “I can’t even imagine what lies you must have fed poor Alaric to get him to agree to your despicable terms. How can you sleep at night, knowing that you took advantage of a confused old man?”

            Klaus grit his teeth, nostrils flaring as he ground out, “Do not presume to reprimand me about things you know nothing about, Caroline.” He chuckled darkly, his gray eyes regarding her with disdain. “I’m merely here to learn why you felt the need to run off to tell Enzo of your little discovery rather than come to me first. Paranoia is such an unattractive quality.”

            She let out an undignified shriek, uncaring if the whole neighborhood heard her. Pointing an accusing finger at his chest she answered, “You don’t put much stock in my loyalty, do you? I’ll have you know that I was absolutely devastated when I found your signature on that damned contract and after I threw it back on your desk, I went home and have barely spoken to anyone in days!”

            As his gray eyes widened at her confession, her temper flared even more and she spitefully added, “And for the record, Enzo and the city council were the ones who obtained copies of the contract and told everyone, so maybe _you_ shouldn’t _presume to reprimand me about things you know nothing about_ , you condescending asshat!”

            Klaus opened and shut his mouth in surprise, clearly trying unsuccessfully to grasp at the right words. Emotionally drained by their bitter encounter, she said dejectedly, “You know what I’ve noticed? The whole time we’ve been standing here, you haven’t once tried to defend your actions or even explain yourself, Klaus.”

            He pressed his lips into a grim line as he spoke in a harsh undertone, “Would it matter at this point?”

            Caroline blinked back tears, doing her best to keep her voice even despite the despair that threaded its way through her cold words. “No. Because I only give my loyalty to those who are willing to fight for me. _For us_.” She turned her back on him, going back inside and slamming her front door shut, the sound of one of her loose shutters clattering to the porch and perfectly echoing the way everything around her was falling apart.

* * *

 

            “It’s nothing to turn your nose up at, gorgeous,” Enzo told Caroline, clearly noticing her dubious expression. “The Armory is an elite organization specializing in supernatural expertise and mysterious artifacts.”

            She rolled her eyes at him, shaking her head indulgently at her friend’s antics. Every year for the Scary Scurry charity run, Enzo insisted on manning the water gun booth in which he lovingly called _The Armory_ , inventing outrageous tidbits about its origins. It was an idea that at first, was intriguing, but quickly fell apart the more she paid attention to his enthusiastic ramblings.

            She helped him adjust his silly cardboard sign that proudly declared the runners could arm themselves with water guns to fight their zombie attackers during the event. “All I’m saying, Enzo, is if it’s such an elite, militaristic operation that specializes in harnessing the supernatural, why on earth would they think that storing a dangerously unstable siren in their vault was a good idea?”

            He scoffed, pulling out another box full of plastic guns to hand out to the line that had started to form at his booth. “It demonstrates man’s hubris; every good story needs a moral. You can’t just have the main characters go on being chipper about their perfect little lives without some obstacle getting in their way...knocking them about the head until they feel like their bloody brain might explode...” he trailed off, clearly as surprised as she was by the rueful turn his diatribe took.

            She patted his hand sympathetically and then returned her attention to her own booth next to his, pouring freshly blended fruit and veggie smoothies into the plastic sports bottles with the event’s colorful thong-wearing zombie logo emblazoned down the middle. Seeming to notice her own discomfort, Enzo asked, “You doing okay these days?”

            Caroline gave him an overly bright smile, her cheerful voice unable to mask her own sadness as she answered, “I’m fine. Everything’s fine.”

            He waited until a group of runners moved away from the booths while readjusting their pink breakaway flags before he snorted in derision. “Sure, gorgeous. And those dark circles you’re sporting is just you getting into character for the zombie run.”

            She gasped, elbowing him playfully as she replied, “Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you’ve gone back to wearing your old thongs.”

            He ignored her for a moment, clearly taking longer than necessary to direct a hoard of zombies to their positions along Wickery Bridges Park, before answering defensively, “I just haven’t been interested in strutting about like a peacock in my fancier gear, that’s all. Nothing wrong with dusting off the classics.”

            “Of course not,” she responded in a softer tone. “That’s the whole appeal of our little town — finding your own version of happy and embracing it.” She lightly chuckled, adding, “That and the town motto to ‘keep Mystic Port weird.’”

            In a mock serious tone, he observed, “I’m not sure we’re living up to that motto, gorgeous. We should rally our town and try harder.” He nodded in the direction of another zombie hoard that had broken off into smaller factions to start hurling various rotting body parts at each other. They laughed together, temporarily forgetting their troubles as they embraced the bizarre silliness of the zombie charity run.

            Later that day, Caroline was starting to pack up her remaining produce when Klaus’ voice startled her. She adjusted her expression to what she hoped was calm indifference as she turned to look at him. Confused, she took in his damp, dirty blonde curls and his soaked henley and jeans, trying to determine why he looked like he’d just emerged from the Gulf. Unable to help herself, she blurted out, “Why are you wet?”

            Annoyance graced his handsome face as he brushed back a few damp locks. He explained, “Apparently, on my walk over here, the Mystic Port citizens mistook me for a zombie. _Often_.”

            “Yeah, I’m sure that’s it,” she muttered under her breath, loading the final pallet of strawberries into her blue Mini Cooper.

            He frowned, his face clearing slightly as he held up a to-go cup from the local vegan shop, _Viciously Vegan_. The familiar label of a carrot wielding a fork overhead while bellowing a fierce war cry always made Caroline smile. Aurora, the fiery shop owner, was another one of the town’s colorful residents that made living there seem like a wonderfully wild adventure. “I suppose it’s not a total loss — Aurora gave me a free drink and told me to ignore the haters and their negative energy.”

            Raising a critical eyebrow, she said dryly, “Really? Aurora told me _yesterday_ that I needed a fully body cleanse to rid myself of your heinous toxins, so I’m guessing she’s up to something.” Blue eyes widening as she continued to stare at the drink, she asked suspiciously, “What kind of drink did she give you?”

            “I’m not sure — I was too busy trying to dodge water gun blasts to have a taste. I believe she said it was some type of pistachio smoothie.” Cocking his head to the side, he asked, “Why?”

            Caroline snorted, recalling the last vengeance smoothie Aurora concocted. “Yeah...You don’t want to drink that, trust me. Just ask your assistant, Lucien.”  

            “Caroline,” Klaus sighed, rubbing the side of his face, “He’s not my assistant any longer. I fired him when I told you I did.”

            She slammed the hatch of her car a bit more harshly than she meant to in her temper, hearing the familiar sound of honeydew melons falling out of their bags to roll around on her floorboards. “That’s not what your contract said,” she huffed, “Lucien was the notary, remember?”

            “I know you don’t believe me, and frankly after my detestable behavior yesterday, I’m relieved you’re even bothering to speak with me, but I swear I’ll explain everything to you if you’ll give me a chance.”

            His gray eyes were pleading, weakening her resolve. “You said you wanted someone to fight for you. That’s what I’m trying to do, sweetheart. Please let me.”


	9. The Sweetest, Most Perfect Undoing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, we’ve reached the final chapter in this story; thank you for all of your support! 
> 
> In other writing news, I posted the first chapter of a new AU Klaroline multi-chap called The Price of Ambition. I’d love to hear your thoughts!
> 
> Warning: A smidge of smut — and then some more smut because it’s been way too long!

 

            The crisp, spring green of the hard-skinned pear mocked Caroline with its mysterious demeanor. A sacred fruit to the ancient Greeks and Romans, its symbolism was clear — a peace offering, a token of esteem. She eyed the fruit suspiciously as she also recalled that the Chinese word for ‘pear’ also meant ‘separation’. _So, which meaning did the offending green specter in her fruit basket shout to the recipient?_ She had paced back and forth in her kitchen for longer than she cared to admit, unsure of what she was trying to say, and therefore decided to throw in several heaping handfuls of bright red strawberries to muddle whatever meaning might be derived.

_Of course, depending on what Klaus revealed, he might not be seeing this stupid apology fruit basket at all_. Earlier that day, he had found her at the zombie charity run, asking her to hear him out, finally offering to tell her his side. “ _I swear I’ll explain everything to you if you’ll give me a chance. You said you wanted someone to fight for you. That’s what I’m trying to do, sweetheart.”_ Which is why she was standing at his front door, potentially awkward-apology fruit basket in hand.

            She hated feeling so unsure about where things stood between them. Still bewildered and slightly angry, she decided to stash the basket behind his loveseat on the end of his front porch. However, she couldn’t help but let her touch linger on the soft burgundy pillows as she recalled a happier time before all the unpleasantness, when they had returned from the Gemini Brewery, incredibly giggly from a sampling tour.

            _Local brewer Kai had served his latest creations, from the bold flavors of the Siphoner stout, to the refreshing Ascendant citrus lager. They’d disliked the bland, clichéd blend of his Sleeping Beauty Curse summer ale, but Kai was such a charming little sociopath that they kept it to themselves._

_Klaus had started kissing her as they made their way up the red brick pathway, whispering deliciously naughty promises. By the time they reached his porch, both straps of her mint green sundress were untied and Klaus’ leather belt unbuckled. As she slid her hands into his pants to playfully grab his ass, he let out a sexy growl before plopping her in the middle of the loveseat and settling on his knees before her._

_His eyes dark with lust, he pushed her knees apart, the delicate fabric of her short hem pooling around her slick thighs. “Your scent is divine,” he rumbled, placing possessive kisses along her soft skin. He raised his curly head to gaze at her, the reverence in his voice apparent as he whispered, “Everything about you is a bloody revelation, sweetheart.”_

_Caroline’s heart leapt at his words, and she realized with absolute certainty that no one could ever absolutely shatter her the way that he could. It was the sweetest, most perfect undoing of her soul that she could ever ask for. Any further thoughts were quickly lost as his warm, skillful tongue traced dangerous patterns across her flesh. The moment he reached her clit, she cried out, bucking her hips against his delightful stubble. The decadent way he swirled his tongue within her dripping core pushed her over the edge; her ecstatic cries left little doubt to what they were doing on his porch for anyone to see._

Klaus awkwardly clearing his throat snapped her out of her scandalous daydream, and she furiously fought down the guilty crimson that stained her cheeks. “Hello, Caroline,” he began, the hesitancy in his tone hurting her heart more than she cared to admit. Klaus was always so self-assured; his downtrodden demeanor was surreal. “Thank you for stopping by,” he continued, stepping aside so she could cross the threshold.

            She followed him under the graceful archway that led to his living room, sitting on the edge of his sectional where the charcoal leather felt cool against the backs of her legs. “It was time,” she answered cryptically.

            He bowed his head slightly at her accusing tone. “You’re right. And I should’ve told you from the moment I suspected what was going on.” Rubbing his jaw tiredly, he said, “I didn’t lie when I told you I severed all ties with Original Hunter Industries including firing Lucien. However, it seems my ambitious former assistant decided to form an alliance with my estranged father, Mikael, and they decided to work together to ruin my fresh start here in Mystic Port.”

            “I don’t understand — why would they do this? I mean, your own father, Klaus, why,” she asked in confusion, her tone tinged with horror at a father who could be so monstrous against his child.

            Some of the shadows left his serious gaze at the empathy he detected in her words. “There’s quite a bit of turbulent history between us and he was livid that I chose to leave the family’s company. He saw it as a betrayal — something unforgiveable. He decided to turn the town against me by taking the preserve and transforming it into luxury condos, linking everything to me.”

            Caroline wrinkled her nose in disgust at the pair’s deceit. “What about Lucien’s role in this? How did he trick Alaric?”

            “Under Mikael’s direction, Lucien began quietly forming a relationship with Alaric, gaining his trust while pretending to still be working for me. He confused him with complicated contracts and convinced Alaric that I wanted the land so that I could partner with the local marine rescue to aid with releasing native species into the wild after they’ve recovered.” He sighed angrily, “Lucien forged my signature on the deed and the contracts. I’ve gotten my lawyers involved and intend to turn Mikael and Lucien over to the authorities for real estate fraud, identity theft and any other bloody charges my legal team can throw at them.”

            She leaned forward, taking his hand in hers to give it a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sorry you didn’t feel like you could come to me with this when it happened. I can’t imagine how alone you must’ve felt.”

            Klaus protested, “No, I should’ve told you sooner. I’m so used to doing everything alone that it’s second nature for me to be mistrustful. But I never meant to make you feel unimportant or that I didn’t trust you. You’re an amazing woman, sweetheart, and the unkind things I said to you were patently untrue — you were well within your rights to be angry and I was a coward.”

            Caroline felt her heart flutter at his words as she once again recognized the man she realized she had fallen in love with. “You aren’t a coward, Klaus. Standing up for yourself and our town is the bravest thing I’ve ever seen and I’m going to be right beside you every step of the way.”

            The smile he gave her was one of pure joy and she couldn’t recall a time that anyone had ever looked at her the way that he did. “Caroline, I don’t know what will happen in the days and weeks and months to come, but I do know that I’m absolutely in love with you.”

            She laughed softly, allowing him to pull her close as they sat huddled together. “I seem to be suffering from the same problem. Somewhere along the way you made me fall in love with you, too.” The kiss they shared was incredible, wringing every bit of passion that had existed between them since the beginning. It was a new start for them both and Caroline couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

* * *

 

            “Bloody hell,” Klaus shouted helplessly, and then proceeded to plunge head-first into the Gulf.

            Caroline threw back her head, laughing in delight as his soaked curls bobbed to the surface. She watched appreciatively as the warm sunshine glinted off of his beautifully toned body as he pulled himself back onto his paddleboard. Several months had passed since the truth had come out about Mikael and Lucien’s failed revenge plot against Klaus and even Caroline had been surprised by the depth of support the loyal townspeople had shown Klaus and his siblings.

            With Alaric’s cooperation, along with police involvement, they had staged a successful undercover operation in which Lucien was tricked into admitting his involvement in the real estate fraud. He quickly turned on Mikael, handing over incriminating documents and emails that sealed both of their fates and put them away for a long time.  

            She sighed in contentment as she steered her battered paddleboard around a cluster of bright green mangroves. Klaus and Caroline had convinced Alaric to partner with the local marine rescue and now the Moonstone Nature Preserve was used as a launch site to release rehabilitated animals back into the wild. Klaus also found a provision in the city charter that allowed Alaric to dedicate his land to Mystic Port, thus protecting it in perpetuity from development.

            The quiet splash and the muted curse behind Caroline made her roll her eyes as she realized Klaus had managed to drop his paddle in the water again. He’d get better at it; he had plenty of time. _Because he wasn’t going anywhere_ , she thought, a wide smile stretching across her face as she looked over her shoulder to observe the sexy British transplant on his knees trying to remain on the board while rooting around in the Gulf for his paddle. He’d moved in with her a few weeks ago, planning to use the profits from selling his place to buy the empty lot next door to help her expand her garden. He knew it had been one of her long-term goals and the fact that he was so dedicated to helping her achieve it was the most amazing gift he could’ve given her.

            Klaus wasn’t the only one who had settled into the quirky life that Mystic Port offered — his siblings had flourished as well. Rebekah turned her interest in interior design into a thriving consulting business and she and Enzo surprised everyone last month when they eloped to Hawaii and were married in a private ceremony on a nude beach.

            Kol had pretended to be angry at Enzo for being a ‘sneaky sister stealer’ so that Enzo would support his motion for Topless Tequila Tuesdays. Kol recently had been elected to the city council and Caroline was both intrigued and apprehensive to see how those two charming troublemakers would forever change Mystic Port.

            She slipped into the wonderfully warm water, pushing her dark sunglasses on top of her blonde curls as she tucked a few wet strands back into her haphazard bun. She spied a dolphin fin lazily slice through the water nearby, and marveled once more that she could be so lucky to be surrounded by such incredible beauty.

            Klaus clumsily managed to paddle his board next to hers, sitting down at one end when it was clear he was getting ready to tumble headfirst if he continued trying to balance on his feet. “You seem rather pleased with yourself, love. What’s that smug little smile about?”

            “I haven’t pleased myself — yet,” Caroline replied coyly. She wedged her board underneath several twisted mangrove roots and then slowly reached behind her neck to tug at the loose knot of her bikini strings. She loved the way Klaus’ gray eyes flickered with lust as she pulled away the bright pink fabric, playfully tossing it at him while keeping her bare breasts below the water line.

            He easily caught the wet bikini top, gripping it in his hand while the other shoved down the band of his black board shorts to expose his hardening cock. Licking his lips, he growled, “I want to watch.” Lightly rubbing her top across his slick tip, he added, “I’ll even give you some inspiration, sweetheart.”

            “I love watching you touch yourself,” she confessed, gasping as she pinched her nipples, pushing her breasts up until they barely skimmed the waterline.

            Eyes darkening at her words, his hand wrapped around his cock as he stroked. The small peeks of her pink top that she spied between his fingers made her moan, and her hand quickly traveled to her aching clit. “The last time you wore this scanty bit of fabric, sweetheart, you rubbed those beautiful breasts against my cock until I came all over them.” He sped up his movements, never taking his eyes off of her face as he purred, “Do you recall what happened next?”

            Caroline was riding her fingers now, his accent flowing over his naughty words to make her unbelievably aroused. “Yes,” she whined, “you licked your come off and then fucked me until neither of us could move.” She could feel her release nearing, but knew she needed more. “Fuck me now. Please,” she begged, helping him slide into the water.

            He quickly removed his trunks, tossing them onto his board along with her top and reached down into the water to pull her hips toward him with a low growl. When he pushed aside the crotch of her bikini bottom and slipped a finger in, they both groaned in delight, rutting against each other briefly. With a desperate moan, he replaced his finger with his cock, joining their writhing bodies with one deep thrust. “Yes, fuck,” he cursed, capturing her lips with his as he moved her along his length.

            She dug her nails into his muscular back, relishing in the way she made him shudder underneath her touch. She clung to his powerful body, tightening her legs around his waist as she urged him to go deeper. She could feel herself edging closer to her release, and slipped her hand to where they were joined, rubbing her clit until she screamed out her completion. Klaus sped up his movements, kissing her feverishly as he moaned her name.

            They clung to each other, lazily floating in the Gulf as the sun warmed their sated bodies. As Caroline watched a heron swoop low overhead, delicately plucking a minnow from the shallows before flitting away with a twitch of its blue feathers, she realized that for the first time in her life, she felt completely at peace. Turning to Klaus, she lightly kissed one of his dimples, whispering, “Thank you for moving here. For being a cocky British snob and then showing me the wonderful person you actually are.”

            He seemed touched by her words, gray eyes softening as he kissed her forehead. “You’ve allowed me to be a part of your life and it’s changed me forever. I could never repay you for all of the ways you’ve made me a better person.”

            “You’ve made me unbelievably happy,” she sighed, nestling into his arms as they floated together.

            Chuckling, he teased, “And it all it took was a few fruit baskets.”


End file.
